Does This Unit Have a Soul?
by Writer Not Writer
Summary: The Calamity is upon them. All omens point towards Ganon's return, but with the Princess missing her powers and the Chosen Hero never appearing, Hyrule's fate may just depend on an hidden piece of Sheikah technology, made for just such an occasion... RoboAU! Eventual Lipha.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey all! So, I got this idea and just had to write it...type it...down. I know I still have my two stories, "Little Link" and "So Close, And Yet So Far," and those will be my main focus still as the week passes. But I wanted to post this story to tied you over till tomorrow when I get he next LL chapter up. If you guys like this story or this story idea, let me know in a review! I would love to keep writing this idea when one of the other stories finishes. Anyways, hope you enjoy!**

"What is it?"

The four Champions surrounded Zelda and Purah as they tinkered with their newest find from an ancient Sheikah dig site. Their eyes examined the object with equal parts curiosity and caution. While the Divine Beasts were modeled after animals, this one was certainly not. No, it was modeled after Hylians. From the surface, one could not tell any difference. It had blond hair, bright blue eyes, was an average build, maybe on the shorter side height wise, and looked roughly seventeen years old. It looked Hylian, sounded Hylian, and felt Hylian. Peeling back the "skin" however, revealed how far from Hylian it was. Underneath its outer layer ancient circuits carried blue energy across from part to part, powering the marching. Its insides gave off a faint blue glow, another clear marker of its true identity.

Purah turned towards Urbosa. "Well, the ancient Sheikah built this in case Ganon rose and no hero appeared to pull the Master Sword and seal the darkness. It was their fall back in case that ever occurred, which thankfully for them, it did not. Unfortunately for us, however,..."

"It is the situation we currently face, yes." Zelda finished, continuing to fiddle with the controls of the Sheikah Slate. "So, we found him and dug him up, hoping he could take the place of our absent hero."

Revali eyed the machine carefully. "Is it dangerous? Will it turn on us if we try to use it?" Revali didn't trust the machines as it was. He was a master archer, and they wanted him to control a massive stone bird? A waste of his abilities as far as he's concerned. And now, they have the audacity to bring a machine and pass it off as the true hero? He found the whole situation ridiculous.

Zelda shook her head. "It has the same chance as the guardians and Divine Beasts turning on us. We should be perfectly safe." Purah glanced over at Zelda's Sheikah Slate, seeing how much progress she had made. With a few taps in the right places, Zelda finally managed to pull open an interface for the construct that lay before her. "I got it! Now let me see if I can connect to it." Zelda tapped the connect button, and a blue flashing light appeared on the "beings" right temple.

After a few moments, the machine's eyes opened, his gaze turning to meet Zelda's. "Link complete. Hello, how may I assist, princess?" Zelda grew a skeptical look. How did he know she was a princess? Before she could ask, the answer came to her. "The only one who can awaken me are the monarchs of Hyrule or a princess. So you must be either. Probability also stated you were likely a princess, due to your outfit bearing the royal crest and your young age."

Zelda eyed the being suspiciously. "What is your name? Is there something we can call you?"

"Yes, my creators gave me a title to be referred to by. I am the Hylian Emergency Replacement Operative. You can refer to me as that." The creation explained. The entire time, the automaton only ever held a neutral face, never once deviating from that face.

"So...H.E.R.O.? We're supposed to call it hero?" Revali scoffed, turning away from the odd construct. "I am NOT calling it hero. It's far from a 'hero', just another piece of technology. Just like those guardians and that Slate of yours." Revali approached the machine, looking it directly in the eyes. "A tool."

The construct didn't respond, merely keeping it's vision locked on Zelda. She eyed it warily, before deciding to question it further. "What is your purpose? Why did the Sheikah create you?"

The H.E.R.O. came back to life. "I was designed to serve as a replacement in case the CHOSEN HERO failed to appear in time to stop GANON from his destruction of Hyrule. In the case of this event, I will activate and follow the will of the current PRINCESS, fulfilling her orders to the best of my abilities. Considering my activation, I assume the CHOSEN HERO has not appeared. What are your orders?"

Zelda took in the information as she paced about the room. So it was here to help against Ganon. That still left many questions. Could it wield the Master Sword? What good was it against Ganon? How effective was it? Could it go out of control? She stopped, turning slowly to the machine. "Do you see the four beings wearing blue cloth?"

The machine scanned the room, taking notice of each person. "Presence acknowledged. Daruk. Goron Chief. Current Pilot of Vah Rudania." His gaze shifted to Rito Champion. "Revali. Rito Marksman. Current Pilot of Vah Medoh." His eyes scanned the Gerudo in front of him. "Urbosa. Gerudo Chief. Current Pilot of Vah Naboris." His eyes landed on the last Champion in the room. "Mipha. Zora Princess. Current Pilot of Vah Ruta."

Zelda nodded. "These are our chosen Champions to pilot the Divine Beasts against Ganon. Were you alive...umm...active...back then? To see them in action? If you had knowledge on how they operate and how effective they were against him it could greatly improve our chances."

H.E.R.O. shook his head. "No, the chosen hero had awoken back then. I was not active for Ganon's last attempt, but I do have information about the event logged in my data banks. I'd be happy to assist in providing instructions on how to operate the Sheikah creations."

Zelda bit her lip, obviously slightly annoyed by his answer. Here he was, a talking entity from the Sheikah, and it wasn't even there at the last Ganon uprising. She sighed, shaking her head. "Well, it can't be helped then. We'll just have to survive on what you can provide for us. Is there anything else we should know?"

The construct sat still for a moment before speaking again. "Yes. While I am a construct, I can suffer permanent damage from outside forces. My skin is organic, meaning it operates much like your skin. Any damage will appear on its surface, and will need to be repaired later. Secondly, I will need to be linked with any operatives I shall be working directly with. When linked to a person, I can then follow their orders and assist them."

Zelda nodded thoughtfully. A robot with skin? Seemed useless, but it did lend itself to it being approachable. It also wouldn't stand out too much. As for the "linking," at least that meant she didn't have to go everywhere with the construct. "I would like you to connect with the 4 Champions. That way you can assist them in understanding their Divine Beasts and help them in their endeavors."

H.E.R.O. nodded. "Then I shall establish connections with each pilot, as per your orders." Its eyes glanced scanned the room. "Daruk. Link established. Urbosa. Link established. Revali. Link established. Mipha. Link established. Links established, registering new commanders."

"To you, it's Master Revali, and you'll always refer to me as such." Revali growled.

H.E.R.O. nodded. "Name registered. From now on, 'Master Revali' shall be your registered name. Does anyone else wish to change their names in my database?"

"Lady Urbosa." Urbosa curtly added, turning back to Zelda to discuss things further.

"Lady Mipha for me, please." Mipha tried her best to be polite. Revali rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to be polite with the machine. It doesn't have feelings. Watch." Revali approached H.E.R.O. And proceeded to knock on its head. "See? Empty. Nothing."

Mipha shook her head. "I apologize for my companion's actions. He can be a bit...abrasive sometimes."

The construct shook its head. "No trouble at all. I look forward to working with all of you, Master Revali included."

Revali glared at Mipha, then the robot, before storming off in a huff as Mipha giggled at his anger. Daruk approached Mipha as Urbosa and Zelda began fiddling with the Sheikah Slate. Daruk eyed the machine warily. "Hey, uhh...H.E.R.O.? I need to make sure of something before we can start working together."

The constructs blue eyes brightened, turning towards Daruk. "Yes, Daruk? What can I assist you with?"

Daruk's eyes narrowed. "I need to give you the ultimate test. The best way we Goron's know how to truly trust people: what's the best food in all of Hyrule?"

H.E.R.O. ran through its data banks, selecting all available files on Gorons. Favorite colors? No, that's not it. Most feared creatures? Doubt that they would want to eat them anyways. Where was it? After hours of looking, he finally found it. _Of course! It's quite logical, a Goron's favorite food would be mineral based. As such, the file on Goron diet would be under the shared Goron/Geological section._ After finding the file in question, it turned back to Daruk, replying instantly to his question. "A Sirloin Rock Roast, of course. Found only in choice mines directly from Death Mountain. No other food quite compares." He stated matter of factly.

Daruk grinned wide. "Good enough for me! You said it without any hesitation! That's gotta mean something good about ya, I can feel it!" Daruk smacked the construct's back, expecting him to bowl over. Instead, his hand slammed into a being as tough as a Goron, causing his hand to come to an abrupt stop. "Woah ho! You're made of tougher stuff! I'm liking this guy more and more!"

Urbosa glanced over from Zelda's work. "He isn't a voe, Daruk. He's a machine, remember? I don't think it's proper to refer to it like it's a person." Urbosa clicked a button on the Sheikah Slate, causing H.E.R.O. shut down. Urbosa waited for a few moments before powering him back up. "See? Just a tool. Nothing more, nothing less."

H.E.R.O. looked around, noticing Mipha and Daruk in front of it. "Oh! Greetings, Daruk and Lady Mipha. It is a pleasure to see you once again. How may I serve you?"

Daruk grimaced. "Ya know H.E.R.O., you don't have to always, ya know, 'serve us.' Sometimes we just want to, ya know, talk?"

H.E.R.O.'s eyes brightened, his posture more rigid. "Of course. What would you like to talk about? I have vast data banks that contain information on a variety of topics." Daruk shook his head, struggling to grasp the terminology to machine had chosen to use.

Mipha giggled lightly. "Never mind, H.E.R.O., maybe we'll discuss queries another time."

Zelda looked up angrily from her work. "Are you all done toying around with the ancient piece of Sheikah technology? Can I please get back to work on him?" Mipha and Daruk shot a quick glance at each other. Poor Zelda had been feeling the pressure as of late. With her father pressing for her to awaken her powers through prayer, along with the chosen hero never appearing and pulling the Master Sword, the world felt like it was collapsing on her. The discovery of H.E.R.O. was a miracle. They still didn't know everything about it, but anything at this point was a plus. Daruk looked like he was going to say something, but Mipha shook her head. Zelda didn't need someone to point out how stress...

"Princess, you seem stressed. Your blood pressure is elevated and your muscles are tensed. I suggest finding a quiet place to calm down, possibly consume a calming cup of tea."

Mipha's eyes snapped to the unwitting construct. She tried to discreetly shake her head, warning their new automaton ally the danger of his interference. "Excuse me? Who are you to tell me I'm stressed! You are in no place to be questioning my mental faculties!" Zelda yelled back. Mipha sighed.

H.E.R.O.'s eyes widened. "I offer my apologies, Princess Zelda. I did not mean to offend you. I was simply offering my assistance in calming you dow...

"I AM CALM!" Zelda yelled as she stomped her way over to the construct. "You got that!? You are not to contradict me! I am fine!" Zelda let loose her pent up stress, pouring it out into the one thing she didn't feel bad about dumping it on.

H.E.R.O paused for a moment, before nodding its head. "Status acknowledged and updated. You look fine to me. Absolutely nothing wrong." Zelda huffed, turned away, and made for the door.

She shot back a glance at everyone in the room. "If anyone needs me for some actual work, I'll be speaking to my father about the progress of the replacement. Don't manage to break it while I'm gone." With that, she slammed the door.

There was a quiet pause, everyone struggling to find the words after Zelda's outburst. "I do not mean to contradict her, by she does not seem 'calm' nor 'fine'. I would like to suggest ways she could return back to a calmer state."

Mipha shook her head. "No, don't do that. I know it seems, er, illogical, but it isn't what is best for her right now. It isn't what she needs."

Daruk rubbed his chin. "I think she just needs somebody ta listen to her."

"She needs a shrink." Revali jabbed from the back, earning a scowl from all parties, save for H.E.R.O.

"She needs someone to be there for her. To listen to her problems, and not offer solutions. Just to be a shoulder to cry on, to let out her feelings." Mipha offered.

The construct looked over to her. "My skin does not get wet, allowing for me to be an excellent object for someone to..."

"No." Urbosa said, shaking her head. "No, that's not the point." Urbosa sighed. "I'm going to go after her. She needs someone right now. Someone to talk to and vent. And while I do appreciate you all, I think I might be the best fit for it right now."

Mipha and Daruk nodded, waving as she left the room. Revali rolled his eyes. "Well, once everyone as finished their feelings session, come find me." And with that, he left.

Mipha and Daruk let out a heavy sigh. While they appreciated the other Champions and their talents, sometimes their abrasive personalities were exhausting.

"I think my first day is going quite well" they both looked over at H.E.R.O., scanning his face for any sign of emotion to match his words. Finding none, they shook their heads, clearly finding something funny with the construct' s description of his "first day."

"Well, H.E.R...H.E...Ugh, I'm tired of saying that constantly! We gotta give him a better name! Something easier ta say, anything!" Daruk complained.

Mipha nodded. She understood his plight, and the construct's name was fairly annoying to say, even if you shortened it to just the letters themselves. And 'hero' was just too informal. She lost herself in thought, trying to come up with a good name for their new robotic ally.

"Shall I log Urbosa's and Princess Zelda's relationship as 'allies' or 'friends'? For ease of filing, I will just label it as both. Link established between Princess Zelda and Urbosa. Shall I set up a link for you too as well?"

Mipha's eyes lit up. "I know just what to call him!" She turned back towards H.E.R.O. "We'll call him...Link."


	2. Chapter 2

Does This Unit Have a Soul?

Chapter 2: Prime Directive

"So, were you really made 10,000 years ago?"

Mipha and Daruk were wandering the halls of Hyrule castle with "Link", while waiting to hear from Zelda and her father, the king. To pass the time, they decided to probe the construct's mind...processor...for any questions they thought he could answer for them. "Link" turned towards his new companions. "Yes. I was created 10,000 years ago after the defeat of **Ganon** by that era's **Princess Zelda** and **Chosen Hero**. The Sheikah were worried that one day, the hero may not appear, resulting in **Ganon's** destruction of Hyrule. Because of this, they created me as a back up, replacing a missing hero in times of crisis."

Mipha nodded, reflecting on the answer given. _So he wasn't actually at the fight, he was made afterwards. The best he has are recounts of the fighting, and may not even know how to combat Ganon. We also don't even know if he can draw the sword that seals the darkness._

Daruk decided he would pose a question to the robot. "So, if they managed to defeat Ganon, what do you think our chances are? I mean, we still have those Guardians the Princess has been gushing about, as well as our Divine Beasts. Were they useful at taking down bacon breath?"

Scanning through his memory, grabbing whatever relevant data he could find within his archives, "Link" finally turned towards the Goron. "I assume that 'bacon breath' is a name with which to refer to **Ganon** in a joking/insulting manner. Nickname registered. It is true that the Divine Beasts, along with the Guardians, played a large role in **Ganon's** defeat, but it must also be said that without the **Master Sword** , wielded by the **Chosen Hero** , and the powers to seal away **Ganon** wielded by **Princess Zelda** , **Ganon** would not have been defeated."

Mipha's concerns were brought out into the open with the mention of the Master Sword. Looking over at Daruk, she noticed her ally deep in thought as well, though she questioned if it was about the same issues. "Link, if I may ask..."

"Of course you may. You are a registered operator, Lady Mipha"

"Thank you. Can you by chance...wield the Master Sword? I know that legends say only the Chosen Hero may pull the blade from its pedestal and use it against Ganon, but with you being a replacement, I was hoping you knew if you could as well."

"Link" began to comb through his records, calmly looking for the answer to Lady Mipha's question. After not finding what he was looking for, he then searched more thoroughly, spending a few days coming his entire archives. After not finding the answer he was looking for again, he began to "worry", unable to answer the question his operator posed to him. He glanced over to the one place he hadn't looked, but quickly shook his head. That section was forbidden, and meant to stay locked away forever. Returning back to Mipha and Daruk, he finally responded a few seconds after she had asked.

"I do not have information on that subject. My apologies."

Mipha's gaze grew more concerned, disheartened at the idea that they had no idea whether this replacement could wield the item necessary for defeating Ganon. Daruk decided to try and lighten the mood up, noticing the concern swelling in Mipha's eyes. "So, uh, Link! Do you always do that thing with your voice when you mention important stuff?"

"Link" gave a curious glance towards Daruk. "What do you mean, 'thing with my voice?'"

Mipha, snapping out of her concerned state, tried to clarify. "Whenever you mention Zelda, or the Master Sword, or Ganon, you always seem to put more emphasis on the words over the rest of the sentence. Are you supposed to do that?"

"Link" shook his head, deciding to test their observation. "I do not believe that I put more emphasis on words like **Ganon** over other words like hydromelon." "Link's" eyes widened. "Oh my, it seems like I do. Correcting...correcting...corrections made, no longer emphasizing words pertaining to Hyrulian lore or history."

Daruk gave a small grin. "Well, I wouldn't mind if you gave some emphasis to my name whenever ya said it. Makes me feel kinda special!"

"Link" nodded. "Acknowledged. **Daruk** will now be emphasized."

Mipha shook her head, a small smile appearing as she giggled at Daruk's antics. The moods levity was soon cut off, however, as Zelda, along with Urbosa and King Rhoam, exited from the Sanctuary into the hall where they were standing. "Well, let's hope that some time with her father has calm..."

"H.E.R.O., come here this instant!" Or not.

"Link" nodded, approaching the King and his daughter as fast as he could before kneeling down in front of them. "What do you ask of me, your highnesses?"

Zelda slowly walked up to the kneeling automaton, staring at it intently before rearing her foot back and kicking it in the gut. The robot made no movement outside of the recoil, but remained silent and stationary. "H.E.R.O., retaliate and defend against your attacker."

"Error, conflicting order with prime directive. Cannot harm current princess of Hyrule. Order ignored."

Zelda turned back to her father. "See? No risk of it turning against us. It's completely obedient. And hopefully..." she turned back, looking down upon the kneeling robot. "...he can defeat Ganon for us as well."

King Rhoam brought his hand to his chin. "While it is all well and good that the replacement can take orders, that does not mean it can wield the Master Sword nor defeat Ganon with it. And you still haven't unlocked your powers!"

Zelda grew slightly annoyed. "But father, the Sheikah technology left behind for us was once used to defeat Ganon before, and it can be used to defeat him again!"

"Zelda, my daughter, I am well aware of the usefulness of the ancient Sheikah technology, but while you fuss over these relics, you are blatantly ignoring the powers that are your birthright. None of that technology will be of help to us if you cannot awaken your power. You need to stop wasting time on these artifacts and focus on claiming your powers!"

"But father!"

King Rhoam raised his hand. "Enough! Zelda, I forbid you from continuing research into the Guardians and Divine Beasts. We have scientists to do that, and do not need your attention being pulled away from your studies in regards to your powers. As for this...thing..." Rhoam turned towards "Link", "I do not know of its usefulness yet, but I do not believe our scientists will be of much help in unlocking its secrets. Therefore I believe it should travel with you and your Champions. Test out its combat ability, give it experience with your allies. Help it understand, if it can, the situation we are in. I would even go so far as to say it should try to pull the Master Sword from its resting place."

Urbosa turned towards the King. "Your majesty, are you sure we should have it attempt that? Those who try to pull the sword have often known to suffer for their attempts, even resulting in death. Should we really risk losing it to that chance?"

The King shook his head. "I am not worried about the robot losing its life. I believe if it cannot do it, then it will be fine. But if it can, we'll be one step closer to defeating Ganon."

Zelda hung her head, before softly agreeing to her father's orders. King Rhoam huffed. "Good. Now go, travel Hyrule to the Springs and pray to the Goddesses. Hopefully there you will awaken your powers. And as for you, errr, H.E.R.O?"

Mipha spoke up. "We have started to refer to him as Link, your highness, for sake of ease."

King Rhoam shot a skeptical glance towards the Zora Princess. "'He'? So it's a 'he' now? And you've given 'him' a name?" He chuckled lightly, turning towards the construct. "Well then, 'Link', I hear by order you, as King of the land of Hyrule, to protect my daughter and her fellow Champions with your life, no matter the cost. Is that order clear?"

"Link" nodded. "Order received and acknowledged. Defending Zelda and Champions from any and all harm, ignoring the cost of own life."

King Rhoam nodded before turning back towards the throne room. "Good. Zelda, Champions, I wish you luck. In more ways than one." And with that, he left.

"Link" slowly rose from his position, before standing straight and staring at Zelda and the Champions.

Zelda began to tap her foot. "So, are we going to go over the fact you have decided not only to give it a gender but also a name?"

Mipha and Daruk shot a glance at each other. Daruk decided to try and explain. "Well, we both thought that .H.E.R.O. was annoying to say over and over again, so we thought we'd give him an easier name to refer to him by. And I dunno, he looks like a guy so we thought we'd just refer to him by it. It made sense ta us..."

Mipha nodded in agreement, looking towards the quiet robot for any sort of support from him. Getting none, she turned back towards the annoyed princess.

"As much as I would like to be annoyed by your decisions without any sort of approval, I am much too tired to deal with this right now. It's late, and we have to head out in the morning. So everyone, please retire to your rooms for the night." She turned to leave. "Oh, and one of you take that...thing...with you. I certainly don't want it in my room."

The three Champions watched as Zelda left, before sharing a concerned glance with each other.

"I believe the Princess is starting to 'warm up to me.' She didn't insult me or nor use me as a stress reliever."

Mipha gave a worried look to "Link". "But she kicked you? Doesn't that bother you?"

"Link" shook his head. "No. It is my duty to take attacks for the Princess, including hits from herself. I will not retaliate, and cannot have any 'hard feelings' as I lack feelings in the first place."

Mipha sighed. "Well, at least let me look into healing the damage." She knelt down, moving his shirt before examining the bruise that was forming on his stomach. "It's very interesting how you can still bruise, even when you lack blood."

"I may lack blood, but I do have fluids that regulate my systems. Losing enough of that liquid would result in my termination, so it can be seen as 'blood.'"

Mipha nodded before raising her hand, a soft blue glow emanating from it as she began to heal his bruise. Soon enough, the bruise began to fade from his skin.

Daruk grinned. "Well, at least we know that you can heal him. That's good!"

Urbosa nodded, placing her hand on Daruk's shoulder. "While we have had a very informative day, I believe we should heed Zelda's words and get some rest. We will have a long journey ahead of us, and the rest will do us some good." She turned towards their automaton ally. "As for you...um...'Link', was it? Do you need sleep?"

"Link" shook his head. "Negative. I do not need rest, though I can go into stasis. I am powered by solar light, and can charge for multiple days of use before running low. I will be fine for the night, but can go into stasis if that would assist in my partner's ability to rest."

The glow of Mipha's healing power faded, the bruise now completely gone from his stomach. She stood up and looked to the others. "I'll take him for tonight. I do not feel threatened by him and I can handle him if anything does happen. I also can heal him in case anything happens."

Urbosa and Daruk nodded, before turning towards the guest rooms they had been allotted. "Alright," Urbosa said. "And Link, you keep watch over her, alright? Make sure nothing happens to her."

"Understood, Lady Urbosa. Order received."

"Oh, well if you're worried about lady Mipha, we would always accompany her."

They four of them turned towards the new voice, their eyes landing upon two guards who had just entered the room. Urbosa smiled. "Ah, Sir Hartford and Sir Delvin. I'm surprised to not see you at the bar!"

They two guards laughed with her, before composing themselves. "Well, we can't very well go there while on duty, now can we? We overheard that Lady Mipha was a concern. We would be happy to lend a hand in escorting her to her room."

Mipha waved them off. "No no, I'll be quite alright. I have our new friend to guide me and watch over me. But I do thank you for your concern...ummm..."

"Kenji and Sabren."

The group looked to "Link." "No, Link, I believe you are mistaken, this is Sir Hartford and Sir Delvin, of the Hyrulian Guard." Urbosa explained, the pair of guards nodding.

"There is no mistake registered in my directory. I have a database of the population of Hyrule, as well as names and faces of it's inhabitants due to the information uploaded to me from the princess as well as genealogical family trees. I may not have a deep understanding of modern political parties or movements, but I can match someone's identity to one in my current database, even through a disguise. This is Kenji and Sabren of the Sheikah clan. Tell me, why have you adorned yourselves with such disguises?"

The group slowly began to turn towards the two "guards" who began to slowly take steps backwards.

"And why is the Sheikah symbol you wear upside down?"

 **AN: Hey! Writer (Not Writer) here! So, I finally managed to put out a second chapter for this story! My apologies, like with SCaYSF, I had a bit of a down time between writing that gave me a back case of writer's block. But I'm back now and should be able to update regularly. I hope you enjoyed the second chapter of this story! Please let me know how you liked it in the review! Thank you!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Flicker

The two "Hylian Guards" quickly jumped back, drawing their blades as their disguises disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing the two masked Yiga Clan members. The Champions took similar precautions, drawing their weapons and adopting their own defensive stances. The whole while, "Link" was scanning the new arrivals, taking in the outfits and weapons that they had drawn.

Urbosa sneered. "Yiga clan members. And I was a fool to trust you two after sharing a few drinks."

Th two assassins glanced at each other. "We just thought it would be pertinent to take advantage of one of your weaknesses, Lady Urbosa. Sadly, you stubborn lot have dug up **that** useless piece of junk. Do you really believe that some substitute hero will be able to defeat our lord, Ganon? We'll send it to the scrap heap after we finish dealing with you lot!"

Link turned his head to the side, his bright blue eyes lighting up as he finished his scan. "Entry complete. New organization registered: Yiga Clan. Most likely a splinter group that broke off some point after Ganon's defeat 10,000 years ago, these Sheikah clan members seem to follow Ganon and are attempting to take down any who might pose a threat to his return. Yiga Clan have now been registered as enemies in database. Use of force, is authorized in protection. Overriding programming. King's Orders: Protect at All Costs enabled. Will use lethal force if necessary." Link raised his fists, dropping into a rigid combat stance himself. "Kenji and Sabren: enemies. Link established."

The two Yiga Assassins laughed. "Ha! You delusional robot, you think you can take us without any weapons? We'll gut you and then we'll gut your owners!" The left Yiga member, Kenji, lept forward, swinging his sickle down at Link's head. His attack never connected, as the constructs hand gripped Kenji's wrist, stopping the blade barely an inch from his shoulder. The construct turned his gaze toward the man's mask.

His grip tightened, causing the assassin to yelp out in pain. "Hostile, if you continue to engage, I will be forced to take actions towards halting said engagements. This is your final warning. Surrender at once."

Kenji glared at the robot from behind his mask, as he desperately tried to remove his hand from Link's grip. Sabren glanced between the two struggling on the right and the three watching the fight unfold. She tried to slowly approach the three, only to be met with a trident pointed towards her. "Don't even think about it. If you leave now, you two may leave here alive." Mipha warned.

Daruk nodded. "Best not to fight against three Champions and their new robo-buddy with just the two of ya!" He laughed at his own warning.

"We won't be intimidated by you pathetic lot! Our lord Ganon will come soon, and wipe you all out! We cannot show our weakness before him!" Kenji began to struggle against the automaton, pressing his foot against the robot as he tried to free himself. He swung his fist into Link's chest, pounding away in vain. "We won't give in! We won't stop! We will continue to fight until all of you, your kingdom, and your precious princess are all de...AHHH!"

The Yiga assassin screamed in pain as his wrist was broken, causing him to drop the blade he held and fall back to the ground, clutching his injured wrist. "Opponent disarmed. Please surrender in a formal and respectful manner. Failure to comply may result in more grievous injuries." The automaton explained, slowly approaching the downed Yiga member.

The two Yiga assassins looked towards each other, silently nodded, and turned back towards their targets. "This isn't over. Not by a long shot! We'll be back. And when **he** returns, you'll all be sorry!"

Sabren rushed to Kenji, before vanishing with him in a puff of smoke, leaving behind mighty bananas as well as a few rupees. The three Champions stood at the ready for a few more moments before finally being able to lower their guard, albeit slowly.

"I am confused. Are Yiga members made of bananas and currency?"

Mipha, Daruk, and Urbosa turned towards Link, silently taking in his observation. Mipha was the first to break out of her stupor with a quiet giggle. Daruk followed suit, letting out a hearty chuckle as he wrapped his arm around Mipha's shoulder, enjoying the comedy of the statement together. Urbosa could only smile and shake her head.

Mipha, suppressing her laughing for a few seconds, tried to correct him. "No no, Link, Yiga members are..."

Urbosa pressed her hand over Mipha's mouth, stopping her mid sentence. "Don't. Just this once, don't correct him. It's too good." Mipha looked over at Urbosa, then back to Link who was offering her a confused stare. Mipha giggled before shaking her head.

"It's nothing, Link. You're absolutely right."

Link nodded. "Understood. Logging new development away." He turned towards the rest of the group. "Considering the breach in security, as well as the enemy's ability to disguise themselves well enough to trick you, I suggest that I remain on guard in one of your quarters while you rest, in case of any more intrusions."

Urbosa looked to her fellow Champions. "Well, I suppose that means him being active the whole night. Is either one of you comfortable with him being awake the whole time you're trying to sleep? I'd personally rather him not be in my quarters."

Mipha spoke up as Daruk began to offer his room. "I'll still take him. I don't mind him watching over me. If anything, I may feel safer with him in my room after what just happened!" She laughed a bit, coming across more nervous than she meant to let on. She turned towards Link. "Link, would you mind if you stayed in my room with me tonight?"

Link tilted his head in confusion. "I apologize, Lady Mipha, but I do not 'mind' anything. I follow your orders, so if you wish for me to stay, please say so." He turned towards the other two. "That also goes for you two as well, Lady Urbosa and **Daruk**."

The two nodded before turning to leave. "Well then, Mipha, we leave him in your very capable hands. If he tries anything in the middle of the night, remember that he can be repaired so don't hold back!" She joked, giving a playful wave goodbye. As they turned the corner. Urbosa shot Daruk a look. "Wait, why did he emphasize **your** name!?"

Mipha softly laughed before turning back towards Link. "Well then, Link, you will accompany me to my room and watch over me tonight."

Link nodded. "Of course, Lady Mipha. Order recognized." The pair began to make their way down the corridor, finally making it to her room. Upon entering, Link made his way next to the unlit fireplace before standing at attention next to it. Mipha glanced over at him out of the corner of her eye as she removed her Champion's sash as well as resting her trident against the frame of her bed. As she climbed in, she nestled into the pillows, before fully acknowledging her guest. He had a questioning look on his face. "Would you not be more comfortable in water? The Zora are not known for resting in dry locations, thus a standard bed would most likely not be the most comfortable setting for your rest."

Mipha shook her head. "While water is the best place for a Zora to sleep, it is not the only place. I'm sure the water would be more comfortable, but I can still sleep in a regular bed. Thank you for your concern though." She offered a small smile to the stoic robot, eyeing him for any trace of emotions. "Well...goodnight then, Link."

Link nodded. "Good night, Lady Mipha."

Mipha closed her eyes, desperately trying to drift off to sleep after the eventful day she had had. After trying for a few minutes (at least, she thought it was a few minutes) she tried to change positions, resting on her right side, with her legs curled up against her chest and an arm beneath the pillow. She sighed contently and closed her eyes.

 _Why can't I sleep!?_

Mipha frowned as her eyes snapped open once more. She couldn't figure out whether it was the day's events, the bed, or her guest that was causing her restlessness, but whatever it was, it was refusing to let her sleep. As she laid back in the bed, staring straight up at the ceiling, she huffed before shifting her gaze over to the glowing blue orbs softly illuminating the room. The light would be calming if it weren't coming from the strange robot she had met just this afternoon. She examined him, looking for anything that could give away his intentions, any change in expression, anything that might present a threat. Finding none, she sighed, groaning as her head fell back against the pillow.

"Is there something wrong, Lady Mipha?"

She propped herself up against the backboard with a grunt, leaning back against it as she met her gaze with the other being in the room. "No, nothing is wrong, Link. Thank you for asking."

"No problem. It is my objective to make sure you remain in good health."

Mipha sighed. "Hey, Link...can I...ask you something?"

"Lady Mipha, you know that you are my operat..."

"Yes yes, I know I am your operator and can ask you anything. Sorry. So...umm..." she glanced around, trying to find a question. "Do you, have any favorite foods?"

Link shook his head. "Negative. I do not consume food as I do not need the energy from food to function. I can eat, and process food, but I do not need to. Therefore, I do not have a 'favorite food'"

Mipha frowned. "Well, um, do you have a favorite season?" she questioned, hoping to find something to relate to in him.

Link once again shook his head. "Negative, I can operate in any season or condition, though I do cease to function when subjected to lava for any extended amount of time, so I recommend we avoid operating in lava zones for extended periods of time."

Mipha grumbled at the robot failing to show any evidence that he held any sort of emotion or feelings inside of his outer shell. She had hoped that, if she got some alone time with him, she may be able to probe his brain a little and see what he was like. Sadly, her results thus far have been fruitless, leading her to believe that Link had nothing going on inside, and that he was just a robot to be used for their purposes. A small look of disappointment flashed across her face as she stared down at her hands. "Right, silly me. It's not like you have favorites. You are just a piece of technology, after all..." She laughed half heartedly. "It's not like you have a favorite color or anything like that..."

Link opened his mouth to respond to her statement, before retracting his own. Link wandered his archives, trying to find information on how to best resolve her sorrow. While looking through files on comforting people and a list of emotions, he eventually gave up. Without the ability to feel anything, he would be quite unable to assist in making Lady Mipha feel "better" as he struggled with what it would take to bring her out of her current state. He could help with stress, as he knew how to bring down higher heart rates and lower anxiety with common treatments. But sadness? Sorrow? He was lost on the subject, struggling with the idea of empathy. As he was brought out of his archives, he looked back at Mipha, a clear look of sadness still evident on her face. His eyes scanned around her, taking in her features. As he fell upon her skin, his eyes flickered slightly. The event was lost on Mipha, who was still staring down. But after a few second of flickering, his eyes once again lit up, not with the dull glow they usually gave off, but with a light shine to them, as the moonlight glinted off of them. As his gaze softened, he gave the smallest, almost undetectable smile. "My favorite...color?"

Mipha snapped out of her melancholy, her eyes rising to meet his. "What...? O..oh yeah, your favorite color...sorry, I thought you might have one..." she muttered, her eyes lowering to her feet.

"It's red."

Mipha gasped, snapping her attention back up to him at the sound of his voice. It sounded so...soft, caring, full of feeling. As her eyes met his, she found no emotion, the dull glow having returned to his eyes, the same stoic expression as always. "Did...did you say your favorite color was red?" Mipha asked carefully.

Link grew a confused expression. "Favorite color? I cannot have a favorite color, Lady Mipha."

Mipha shook her head, trying to shake them memory from her mind. "You...you're right. My mistake. Goodnight, Link."

"Goodnight, Lady Mipha."

As she laid back down on her side, a single thought drifted into her mind before sleep finally came for her. _I didn't imagine it. At least, I don't think I did. Does he actually have a favorite color?_ As another thought passed through, her consciousness fading from her, her eyes fell upon her hand. _And it's...red?_

 **AN: Hey! Writer (Not Writer) here! Hope you've been enjoying the story so far! So, a mysterious flicker? A favorite COLOR? What's happening? We'll just have to find out. As for you guys, I hope to hear from you on how you like the story so far! Have a good day/night/existence, until next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Override

Mipha eyed Link curiously as he worked with the horses. The Champions had woken up a little while ago, and they were preparing to leave together via covered wagon. Two wagons were necessary, as Daruk weighed as much as three of them by himself, maybe even all of them. While she had said they, it was mainly Link who was preparing for their trip. He deftly hooked up the horses to their wagon, tying down the straps efficiently as the rest of the Champions made their way to the back of the wagon. With one last glance towards Link, Mipha decided to head back and join her fellow Champions. As she climbed in the back, she found herself with Zelda and Revali, as Daruk and Urbosa had gone to the other wagon. As she found a place for her to rest, she eyed her two fellow Champions, who were silently discussing something amongst themselves. Mipha was going to say something, but her question was interrupted by the wagon jerking forward. She looked towards the front, spying Link handling the reigns as he guides the horses forward. Once they started moving, he turned back towards them.

"Journey begun. Estimated time of arrival to Spring of Power: two to three days, accounting for weight, multiple wagons, and equine stamina."

Zelda glanced over to Link, mulling over the information in her head. "Hmmm, technically speaking, the Master Sword is just barely out of the way of the Spring of Power. It might be worthwhile to visit the Sword while we make our way to the Spring of Power...H.E.R.O.!"

"Yes, Princess? How can I be of assistance?"

"Alter our course. Head towards the Lost Woods. We can head to the Spring of Power after we take care of business there." Zelda ordered, pointing at the map on her Sheikah Slate.

Link nodded. "Order acknowledged. Altering course. New destination set: Lost Woods. Estimated time of arrival: one day. Is there anything else?"

Zelda glanced back at her fellow passengers. While Mipha was looking at her and Link with a light smile, Revali scoffed at the robot, clearly annoyed by the sound of his presence alone, let alone his voice. Zelda understood his feelings. She didn't care much for the robot either. While it hadn't done too much to offend her (the stressed comment the other day being the only thing that came to mind), it still gave her the creeps. It was clearly a robot. But not as clear as she would like. It looked just like person. While it's speech was rigid, it sounded like a person. If you were to touch it, it'd feel just like a person. And that's what bothered her. It wasn't a person. It didn't belong in their group as one of them. It was merely a tool, a device to help defeat Ganon. After his defeat, they would shut it down, store it away, and be done with it forever

Zelda looked over to Mipha, her annoyance rising as she narrowed her eyes at the Zora Princess. She and Daruk were not helping the situation. Not only had they called it a "he", but they named "him" as well: "Link." She scoffed at the name. Things like it didn't need names. It only needed to know what to do and to do it. Getting attached to this thing was like getting attached to a wild animal you just found. Naming it, guessing it's gender, and asking if you could keep it. Except she didn't want to keep it, and a pet would be worth more in her eyes. The pet is at least _alive._

"Princess? Is something troubling you?"

Her attention snapped back to Link, who was staring at her with a face of simulated curiosity. "Yes, there is. I would like to enjoy time with my fellow Champions, and your presence, with not being a Champion and all, would hinder that. I'm sure my friends feel the same way."

"You couldn't be more correct in that assumption, your highness." Revali said, his voice steeped in resentment towards the robot.

Mipha looked between the three of them. "Actually, I don't mind if Link is allowed to..."

"Then it's settled. H.E.R.O., please close the flaps while we are traveling. Do not disturb us unless it is an emergency or when we have stopped to make camp. If we need anything, we'll let you know." Zelda ordered, before retreating to the back of the wagon with her fellow Champions.

Link nodded. "Understood, Princess. Drawing flaps for privacy. Staying out of affairs." With that, Link drew the flaps of the wagon down, blocking himself off from view.

Zelda sighed, relaxing back into her seat as she looked over to Revali. "Finally, some peace from that thing."

Revali grinned. "I'm glad we share the same sentiment, your highness. I don't care what the Sheikah meant for it to be. It isn't a hero, not even a replacement. Sure, I heard about it breaking the assassin's wrist last night, but that's not very impressive at all. It has yet to do anything, **anything,** that deserves my respect. Not even my acknowledgment. And when all this is finished, I want to personally be there as we return it to the scrap heap."

Mipha glanced between the two, feeling very out of place amongst her fellow Champions. While she understood their frustrations, she didn't really appreciate the way they didn't even give Link a chance at proving them wrong. While he wasn't a person, he wasn't just a tool to be used either. Even she can see him and appreciate him for what he is. An entity, entirely different from them, but his own identity. He was a part of them, and even though they had only known each other for a very short time, she came to see the robot as a friend, or at the very least a trustworthy being to be around.

"Don't get me wrong, I understand why we need it. It looks like person, and it was designed to take the place of the hero, something we are currently lacking. But what I don't understand..." he turned towards Mipha, his gaze boring into her with viscous curiosity, "is why do you care about it?"

Mipha snapped out of her thoughts, suddenly dragged into the conversation by the Rito Champion. "E..excuse me?"

Revali frowned. "You hear what I said. Why do you care about that thing? You and Daruk both go ahead and name it, and start calling it a 'he', and treating it like it's a person. It isn't a person Mipha. It doesn't have any feelings or characteristics. It can't laugh. It can't cry. It doesn't have any dreams or fears. It doesn't even have preferences. How can you look at that thing and fool yourself into think it's a person?"

Mipha stared at Revali, trying to come up with an answer. It's true, Link lacked those things, and was only ever rigidly robotic with them. It was tough to find an argument against what the Rito was arguing, but she didn't rightly need one. She knew what she thought. Daruk did too. She didn't need an exact reason to see him as his own entity, his own person. Revali was not her, however. Neither was Zelda. Both were cold and calculating, wanting hard proof and facts to back up claims. One being a woman of science, with the other a trained marksman and warrior with an overly inflated ego. Both would need an explanation, or their opinions would stay stone. Mipha frowned as she failed to defend her new ally, her eyes breaking away from Revali's as she looked down at her own feet.

Revali smirked. "That's what I thought. You and Daruk's hearts are just too gullible. That thing has you fooled. But we won't be. We know what it really is. And what worth it holds outside of all of this." He made a zero with his feathers, laughing slightly at his own remarks. "My favorite thing about all of this though? You claim he's a person, then let him stay in your room all night, staring at you. If he is a person, he's a pretty creepy one!"

Mipha's eyes lit up. _'My favorite thing...' That's right! Favorites! Link has one! He told me last night!_ She looked down at her feet, the red scales a bright contrast to the dull wood beneath them. _It's red!_ Her eyes shot up to meet Revali's, a look of determination now set within them. "He has a favorite color."

Revali's laughing cut instantly, as he and Zelda stared at the Zora in bewilderment. "W..what do you mean? Favorite color? He...it..doesn't have favorites!" Zelda managed to stutter out.

Mipha smiled, knowing she finally managed to provide something to help her automaton ally. "Yes, a favorite color. He told me so last night. It's red." She stated matter of factly.

Revali scoffed. "It did not tell you that. You must have dreamed it since it was in your room last night. It's a robot. They don't have feelings or wants or favorites. It just sits there and does what it's told." Revali grew suspicious as he eyes the Zora. "So why red, huh? Is it because you yourself are red?"

Mipha blushed, hiding away her embarrassment as she tried to stand against his questioning look. "N..no. I didn't pick it, he did. I don't know why it's red."

Revali rolled his eyes. "Oh I'm sure you don't. No clue. It's just its favorite color, which it told you last night when no one else was around, was red, and you, the only person there with him, happen to also be red. I'm sure it is just one huge coincidence, right Mipha?"

Zelda, confused at the prospect of the robot having a favorite anything, slowly grew suspicious of Mipha as well following Revali's argument. "Mipha, I understand that the lives we lead are tough and lonely at times. Trust me, we all know that. But you don't need to go projecting your feelings onto that thing just to make yourself feel better. If you want to talk or have companionship, find us. Leave it behind to its duties."

Mipha huffed, clearly annoyed at her allies' accusations. "Whether or not you believe me doesn't matter. I know what he said. There's something else going on with him..." She eyed the two giving her questioning looks, before standing. "I'm going to go and provide some company to our driver. If you need me, I'll be up riding with **Link**." Mipha made sure to emphasize his name, trying to push back against Revali and Zelda's insistence that Link wasn't a person and, as such, didn't deserve a name. The two of them could only scoff, turning towards each other as they began silently discussing amongst themselves. Mipha rolled her eyes and parted the flaps of the wagon, carefully stepping onto the seat next to Link.

Link looked over at her. "Hello, Lady Mipha. Is there something you require assistance with?"

Mipha shook her head. "No, I just thought you might appreciate some company since you were out her all alone."

"While I do understand your concern, do not worry. I am fully functional whether with someone or not."

Mipha gave a soft smile at his misunderstanding. "Well, I do operate best with company. Do you mind if I join you out here?"

Link pondered for a second. "If it will assist you in remaining in peak condition, then I would suggest you spend your time out here with this unit."

Mipha nodded her head. "I agree."

The two sat there quietly for most of the ride, being interrupted every once and awhile by the occasionally bump in the rode. Mipha's eyes scanned the country side, the sun slowly starting to move towards the horizon. Orange light was cast across the river they were traveling by, the water looking like liquid gold in its glow. Birds chirped as they flew through the trees, a gentle breeze guiding them. "It truly is beautiful, is it not?"

Link scanned the surroundings. "The area contains at least six of the known factors that people denote as 'beautiful'. I have to agree with your observation, based on these factors." Link explained.

Mipha glanced over to him. "And just what are those things people would call beautiful?" She asked with a giggle.

Link scanned the surroundings once more. "The glow the sun is giving off has changed the color of the sky to an orange-purple. The light has also caused the river to develop a golden glow to it. The trees are gently rustling in the breeze, as well as the birds flying through them with a consistent chirping. These scenes put together also present a serene look that one would also denote as beautiful all together."

Mipha counted the reasons in her head. "Link, you only listed five reasons. What's the sixth?"

Link looked over to her, confusion written on his face. "Only five? Re-calculating...re-calculating...sixth factor not found within surrounding scenery. Altering observation..." His eyes scanned the sky, noting the stars appearing behind the twilight veil. "Considering the time, it would be pertinent to set up camp for those who wish to sleep outside the wagon. If unnecessary, we could continue through the night."

Still confused from the apparent slip up, Mipha shook her head slowly. "No, I think the majority of our party would prefer to rest outside the wagons, especially if they were going to be moving the whole time. I'll let them know." Mipha stood up and carefully stepped back into the wagon.

* * *

After getting camp set up, the Champions were resting beside the fire, it's soft glow illuminating their faces as the crackling broke the silence. "So..." Daruk began, "do ya think we can actually beat him? Ganon?"

Zelda looked over at Daruk, dejectedly. "I...I don't know. We have the Divine Beasts to weaken him, and the Guardians to defeat his monsters, but I still lack my powers. Without the power to seal away the darkness, how are we ever supposed to defeat him?" She sighed, hopelessly. "It also doesn't help that our 'Chosen Hero' didn't appear. Without the hero, who will wield the Master Sword? To defeat Ganon? I feel like the Goddess has cursed us with misfortune after misfortune. We're supposed to complete a puzzle, let's say, and to complete it we need the last piece. But that piece was never included in the puzzle, so it can't hope to be completed. The Hero is our missing piece. How are we supposed to win without him?"

Revali glanced over to Link, who was busy standing over the cooking pot. "Not to mention that the Hylians of old mock us with this 'replacement hero.' Why would they create a replacement if they knew the Chosen Hero is always born in times of Ganon's return? That the Goddess watches over him as he works, fights, and finally defeats Ganon. Why would we need a replacement?"

Urbosa smirked. "In case we end up in a situation where we don't have our Chosen Hero. That's why it's a replacement, Master Revali."

Revali sneered at her playful jab. "Well, if they needed a replacement hero, they could have always asked me. I'm better than 10 of those things put together, and that's with one wing behind my back. Let's just hope that thing doesn't hold us back."

Mipha sighed. "If anything, Master Revali, an extra hand might do us some good. Another set of eyes watching our backs will keep us safer overall."

Zelda followed Revali's gaze to Link. "It's H.E.R.O. watching us that makes me uncomfortable." She turned towards the group. "While I know it won't attack us, I don't know if I feel comfortable with it being on while we sleep, even if it could keep watch for us."

"If you'd like, I could enter stasis if that would put your mind at ease."

Zelda jumped, turning around to face him. Her surprise turned to a light anger. "You know, you shouldn't just appear behind me like that. You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Link cocked his head to the side. "If necessary, I can send electrical shocks through my palms in case the need of defibrillation arises."

Zelda rolled her eyes, her anger simmering to minor annoyance. "That's not...I didn't...Fine. I'm glad to know you have that feature. Is the food ready?"

Link nodded. "Yes Princess, the food is now complete." Link walked back towards the pot, now simmering over a low flame. He reached down, grabbing it as he hoisted it up and brought it closer to the Champions. Mipha looked on with worry.

"Link? Doesn't that burn?"

Link shook his head. "No, as I stated to you earlier when you posed the query 'What is your favorite season?', I can withstand and operate in most conditions. Minor temperatures such as this cooking pot have no affect on my skin." He explained, paddling food into bowls of each Champion. After they had all gotten their meals, Link left the pot in case of them needed extra food.

Daruk stared down at the food in the bowl. "Uhhh, Link? What is this, exactly? I don't think I've ever seen this stuff before..."

"That is a dish that Hylians enjoyed 10,000 years ago before Ganon had attacked. It is made by taking flour, eggs, oil, and salt, mixing them together, and then flattening out the dough. Then, taking filling of some meat or cheese, you place it on top of one sheet of dough, then cover with another equally sized sheet. Once cove..."

Revali huffed in annoyance. "We didn't ask how it was made, we wanted to know what it was."

"My apologies. The dish is called 'ravioli.' It was quite popular back in the day, if my data is accurate on the consumption rate of pasta based dishes 10,000 years ago."

The Champions eyed the food cautiously. While they didn't fear it was poisoned, they didn't know if they could trust the robot to cook food well enough. Timing and cooking were fine, but they didn't know whether it had tastebuds, could tell what was "good" or "bad", or if it needed more of something or less based on taste. Nodding to one another, they decided it was best to face the unknown together. They each took a piece and shoved it into their mouths.

"Woah! This is amazing! Who knew the little guy...bot...could cook this well?"

"It is quite delectable, is it not? Link, you have to show me how to make it! Oh...I di...didn't mean you _have_ to. It isn't an order...Link, put the bowl of flour down!"

"While it is quite foreign to me, I could myself enjoying this with a fine Noble Pursuit."

"The royal chefs back at the castle could easily outmatch this. But it's a good effort, I suppose."

The only one silent through the whole meal was Revali. As the others enjoyed their food, they glanced over to Revali. As all eyes landed on him, Revali felt like he was somehow being threatened. "What?"

"Master Revali, the others have expressed their enjoyment of the meal. Was my cooking not satisfactory to you? If so, how could I alter my cooking routine to assist in your enjoyment?"

Revali huffed. "I didn't say it was bad!" He accidentally raised his voice before clearing his throat. "It's...it's fine. Not good, not bad. Just fine."

Mipha gave him a playful look, her eyes moving between his clearly empty bowl and his face, desperately trying to hide the enjoyment of the meal from the rest of them, especially Link. "Whatever you say, Master Ravioli." She quipped.

"Wh...what did you call me? You dare besmirch my name?" His eyes darted around to his fellow Champions, noticing their snickering faces joining in on Mipha's playful nickname. "Don't encourage her!"

Mipha's eyes lit up. "Oh! Link? Please change Master Revali's name to Master Ravioli! Please?"

Link shook his head. "Only the person in question can change their names in my reference logs. My apologies, Lady Mipha." Mipha sighed dejectedly, Revali smirking at her failed attempt.

"H.E.R.O., Princess Override of programming. Please change Revali's name to Master Ravioli for 24 hours."

"Acknowledged, overriding programming. Master Revali changed to Master Ravioli for 24 hours."

Revali could only look on in muted horror as his allies (he could no longer call them his friends) gathered around the robot to laugh. Growling under his breath, he turned away from the group and left, grabbing his bed roll on his way out. With their source of comedy leaving, their laughing died down, until a yawn escaped the princess. "Well, it is getting rather late isn't it? We should probably get some rest." She glanced over at where Revali left. "Will he be alright?"

Urbosa placed her hand on her shoulder. "He'll be fine. Master Ravioli wouldn't let anything get him in his sleep, lest his 'good name' get besmirched." She looked over at the other two Champions. "Who shall take first watch?"

"Lady Urbosa, I do believe that I can serve as the watch for the entire night. Again, I do not need sleep, so I can watch over you and the Champions while you rest."

Zelda grew visibly uncomfortable, as she tensed up under Urbosa's touch. Urbosa glanced down, noticing the worry on her face. She leaned down and whispered in her ear, stroking her back as she tried to calm her down. Raising her eyes to Mipha's, Urbosa offered a kind smile. "Mipha, he watched over you the whole night last time. Did he cause you any problems?"

Mipha shook her head, trying to offer Zelda a reassuring smile. "He was completely fine, no problems at all."

Zelda, while still looking unsure, finally nodded, relenting to her friend's reassurances. Glancing one final time to the robot, she finally made her way over to her bedroll across the clearing, Urbosa not far behind her. "I do not understand. Is my presence a discomfort to the princess?"

Daruk turned to Link. "Nah buddy, I think she just has ta get used to ya. She was like this with us when we first started hanging out with her!" Daruk noticed Mipha giving him a questioning look, only for him to slowly shake his head. "Once ya hang out with us more, I'm sure she'll warm up to ya!"

Link nodded. "Acknowledged. Princess Zelda did raise a valuable point. It is getting late, and sleep is necessary for peak performance. Please begin your rest. I will watch over you."

Daruk grinned. "Thanks, brother. I know we're in your capable hands!" Daruk slapped his back, giving a hearty laugh before curling up. Link glanced down at his hand before slapping it down on Daruk's back, eliciting an audible "oof" from the Goron, followed by a small chuckle. "I knew I liked something about this bot!"

Mipha waved at Link. "Goodnight, Link. Thank you for watching over us." She gave a soft smile before laying down on her roll, turning away from him as she tried to fall asleep.

"Goodnight, Lady Mipha." Link gave one last look before turning to face the wilderness, his eyes scanning the trees for any movement that could pose a threat. Sensing none, he decided to take a moment and catalogue new information he had gathered throughout the time he had been brought online. Grabbing the glowing blue slates, he wandered the halls of his Archives. While he was always willing to assist the Princess and the Champions with whatever they needed, there was a sense of calm and ease he experienced when wandering the halls of his Archives. Work made sense here. Everything compartmentalized, arranged in nice, easy to understand categories. It was all perfect. Not a thing out of place. Just a calm blue glow of all the files he had accumulated over the years. As he grabbed one of the files he was carrying, he carefully slotted it in amongst files of similar substance. Stepping back from shelf, his eyes drifted to a small red glow illuminating from one of the files, slotted high above the others. Cocking his head to the side, he carefully climbed up the file, digital steps forming beneath his feet as he rose to its level. As he neared the file, a red glow crept over his body, its sheer difference a jarring image among the soft blue glow. Link stopped, his mind trying to decode what the file could mean. Figuring that the file must have some importance if it was meant to stand out against the rest, he reached forward and grabbed onto the handle, carefully pulling out the file.

Yelling. Screeching. And the clatter of chains.

* * *

Mipha's eyes opened groggily, an odd sound rousing her from her sleep. As she looked around the area, she saw nothing out of place with her companions. Her eyes finally fell upon Link, who was currently shaking, clutching his head as he mumbled to himself. Her eyes grew concerned as she began to sit up. "Link? What's wrong?"

His shaking ceased in a heartbeat. His attention slowly turned towards Mipha, his eyes locking onto hers, their red glow piercing into her heart. She stuttered, trying to find the words to question her ally's well being, but fell short under his glowing gaze. He slowly marched towards her, careful steps avoiding any ground that may make noise. Stopping in front of her, his hand reached down, gripping her neck as he raised her up to his eye level. Mipha choked, hands wrapping around his as she tried to free herself from his grip. "A...ah..L...Link...s...sto..." she gasped out, barely above a whisper. Link's grip tightened, his eyes staring into hers. She frantically looked for any sign of the robot she knew existing within them.

"Over...overriding protection command...overriding...over...over..."

A small spark of light, a bright blue flash in his eyes. Mipha gasped, the last of her breathe escaping her as she brought her hand up to his cheek. She didn't know if it would work. This all could be futile. But she had to try. She rubbed it gently. "L...Li...Link...I'm...We're...Fr...Freinds..." As her eyes began to shut, his grip suddenly loosened, Mipha's body dropping to the floor. She coughed, her body desperately trying to regain the breath it had lost. As she slowly recovered from the incident, she glanced up at Link. His eyes rapidly flickered from red and blue, as if the two colors were fighting for control over his body. His hands gripped at his face, skin being torn away to reveal glowing blue parts beneath his skin, a red glow infecting the wires and circuitry. Mipha struggled to stand, her hand reaching for her trident. Her eyes never left the robot, his panicking now starting to awaken Daruk, who began to uncurl before them.

"Ugh, Mipha? What are you doing up? Where's Lin..." His eyes widened before jumping to his feet and rushing to Link's side. Looking over his glitching ally, his hands soon gripped the automatons hands, prying them away from his damaged face. Daruk grunted against his attempts at escape, his strength always surprising the Goron. He looked over to Mipha's, eyes falling upon the marks on her neck. "What happened!? You ok?!"

Mipha nodded, her breathing finally returning to normal. "Yes, I'm fine. Something's wrong with Link!"

Daruk grunted. "No kiddin'! I wouldn't call what he's doing as normal!"

Mipha rushed up to the two of them. "No, not like that. He seems...I don't know...possessed by something! Like he's fighting against something inside of himself for control!"

"Well, what are we supposed to do about it? It's not like we can look inside his head or anything!"

Mipha tried to come up with a plan to help, but came up short. She wasn't a scientist, she didn't know how to help with his "programming." She could heal him, but that wouldn't fix the actual problem. As she struggled to answer Daruk's question, a throaty gasp interrupted her train of thought. Her eyes snapped up to Link's, the dull blue and red glow now replaced with a steady, bright blue. His eyes, seemingly lost moments ago, landed on hers. "Mipha."

She stepped back in surprise. "Y..yes?"

"I need your help. Something wrong is in here. It's attacking him...me...us...and I can't stop it. Not by myself."

"What is it? Should I wake the others? Zelda may know what to do to help with this..."

Link shook his head, static splaying from the right side of his face. "No, there isn't enough time. She doesn't trust him...us...as it is. She'd have us destroyed even if we fixed this. I need you, Mipha. Please."

Mipha struggled with her answer. On one hand, keeping this from the Princess was only going to backfire later on, but Link was right. She's have him destroyed if she learned of this event. Finally gathering her courage, she looked back at Link and nodded, a determined expression now clear on her face. Link smiled, breaking his hand free from Daruk's grip as he brought it up to her temple. Closing his eyes, he pressed his fingers against her. "Connecting...connection established...downloading...prepare for dive..."

Mipha could only gasp as everything went black, her body collapsing to the ground as Daruk reached out his free hand to catch her. "Mipha? MIPHA? What did ya do?"

Link's eyes flickered back to red as he turned back towards the Goron. "Oh great..."

 **AN: Longest Chapter I've ever written for this story. Jeez. Thought I'd try putting out a longer chapter for once, so you guys could get more story at once. Lemme know if you prefer that or more chapters that are shorter.**

 **Oh no, something is wrong with Link! Thankfully we've never seen ancient Sheikah technology get corrupted by a dark influence before in BotW.**


	5. Chapter 5

t **Hey there**! **Writer (Not Writer) here! Sorry for the late update, stuff has been getting to me as of late and my birthday was a little bit ago so I have been a bit busy. But I do hope you enjoy this chapter! Lemme know how I did in the reviews. Enjoy!**

Chapter 5: Antivirus

Mipha's eyes fluttered open, a gasp escaping her lips as she shot up. Catching her breath, she looked around, her eyes tracing over the odd and yet familiar objects that made up her new location. As her eyes scanned the glowing blue surroundings, she quickly came to the realization that she was in Link's mind. _Database?_ Either way, Link somehow had brought her here, and it was a truly breathtaking sight.

"Bookshelves?" Mipha got to her feet, the soft carpet cushioning her steps as she began to wander the halls of bookshelves, their dark mahogany color contrasting the bright blue glow of each book that took up their shelves. Each was stacked to the brim with different glowing books. Her hands trailed over the different spines, each labeled with a different set of codes and numbers. Pulling out a random tome, she carefully opened up the glowing blue book. Her eyes slowly scanned a few pages as she skimmed through the various pages of the book. It seems the book she had grabbed accurately and throughly described how to make the perfect chocolate cake, but contained little else besides that. Humming with curiosity, she placed the book back and pulled another one. Opening the cover, she found another recipe book, detailing the perfect way to cook salmon meunière. After glancing through a few other books in the section, she came to the assumption that this section must be for recipes. She glanced upwards, gasping as the bookshelf seemed to vanish into the ceiling, never truly seeing the top. _Maybe Link should cook all our meals from now on..._

Mipha jumped back a little as she heard a loud clash, followed by pained grunts and the rattling of chains. Realizing that Mipha was brought here for a reason, she quickly darted off in the direction of the sound. As she sprinted through the seemingly endless halls, she quickly began to notice the various bookshelves she passed had an increasing number of red books mixed in with the red. At first, it may be one or two. Soon enough, most of the shelves she ran through had at least half of the shelf corrupted with red books. The raging battle sounded closer, and so she picked up the pace, hoping to put an end to whatever was attacking her new found ally.

Turning a corner, she came face to face with shelves of pure red, each book having lost its blue glow to the ever devouring red. In the middle of it all, a slightly see through version of Link stood panting. Before it stood a massive being of swirling red pixels, its form complimented by several tentacles. They slammed down around Link as he dodged back and forth, his movements a shadow of what they were in her world. _How long has he been fighting this thing?_ Mipha wasted no time sprinting forward, narrowly pulling Link away from a tentacle that slammed down, a faint red glow painting the floor where he once stood.

"Link? What's happening? What is that thing!?" Mipha yelled, the red swarm of data letting out an enraged screech due to its new challenger interfering with its prey. It readied more of its tentacles, firing them off one after another as Mipha and Link did their best to dodge the incoming strikes. Leaping back away from the writhing mass of pixels, Mipha caught her breath as the Link hologram readied his weapon once more. "Link, I command you let me know what that is!"

Link suddenly snapped to attention, turning towards her. "Lady Mipha. My apologies, I did not expect you to be present here. I would ask how you managed to get here, but that will have to wait till our current target has been eliminated." He turned back towards the creature. "To respond to you query, the mass of data before you appears to be some kind of virus. It was dormant in my programming until I tried to access it, to which it attacked me. I was trying to fend off the infection, but it appears that at least thirty percent of my available files have been corrupted, and the number is only rising. Estimated time of full corruption: five minutes. Suggest eliminating virus to halt corruption."

Mipha nodded, turning to the beast. "How am I supposed to fight this thing?" To her question, a trident materialized in her hands, it's gold glow illuminating the pixels that made up the weapon. Testing the weapon, Mipha was satisfied with its weight and readied herself. "Does it have a weak spot?"

Link nodded. "Yes. The original file I had accessed is still present in the center of the creature. Striking it may result in the destruction of the virus." He readied his sword, pointing towards the bright glow in the center of the virus. Mipha nodded, before dashing forward towards the virus. Tentacles wrapped around her as she avoided the constricting appendages by slipping through their grasp, stabbing the ones she couldn't dodge. She shot a glance towards her ally when she could. Link was having a much tougher time. While he was technically in his element, he was nowhere near as nimble as Mipha was, and was more often than not wrestling with a tentacle attempting to pin him down. Mipha's attention snapped back to the virus before her as she pressed her advance. _Dodge, duck, dip, dive and...dodge._ Nearing the entity, she slid beneath a tentacle attempting a clothesline, rising to her feet as she reached the creature. It screeched in anger, red pixels scattering from its angered form as black, billowing smoke poured from it like an ominous fog.

"Lady Mipha, I regret to inform you that I am currently incapacitated. Attempting to break free." Mipha looked back to find Link completely pinned by tentacles, swinging his sword to try and break through the mass of tentacles. While he was making progress, new tentacles would wrap around him, slowly restricting the use of his arms. "Probability of escape reaching zero percent. Requesting assistance."

Mipha sighed, turning back towards the virus. _Looks like I'm on my own..._ Peering through the smoke, she could faintly make out the glow of the file. Steeling herself, she dashed forward, her eyes focused on her target. The faint requests of her teammate faded into the background as she neared the core. _If I kill the core, I'll save him at the same time!_ She pulled back her trident and dove forward into the virus, her trident trained on the file. She screamed as a burning sensation spread through her body, her body being thrown from the virus.

"Lady Mipha. I regret to inform you that since you are digital as well, the virus can injure you through direct contact with it's source code."

Mipha grunted in pain, the burning simmering down to a light tingle as she struggled to stand up. Using her trident for support, she slowly got to her feet, shakily standing in defiance at the red menace. She raised her trident, pointing it once more at her foe, her arm trembling as she tried to remain resolute. Her eyes trailed up to the swarm of tentacles that had materialized above her, all pointing directly at her. The virus let out what could only be seen as a chuckle, its prey finally cornered. As Mipha prepared to jump once more, the tentacles all came hurdling at her, ready to obliterate her existence.

The impact never came. Mipha dared to look back up to her oncoming doom, only to find the tentacles glitching in place, their forms flickering in and out of existence. Her eyes fell back to the virus, only to find it locked in the same state. The pixels around the file began to clear away, leaving the floating red book with a clear path to it. "MIPHA! KILL IT!" Mipha snapped up, desperately trying to find the source of the voice. "FORGET ABOUT ME! I CAN'T HOLD IT FOREVER!" Mipha nodded, turning back towards the entrapped creature. Letting out one final cry, she lept forward, jamming her trident into the core file. The virus screeched in pain, pixels breaking off from its form as its tentacles quickly dissipated. The being slowly shrunk down, it's screeching fading more and more. Before her eyes, this towering monstrosity quickly became a tiny red blob, no bigger than a small rock. It screeched at the Zora Princess, waving what was left of its army of tentacles. Mipha gave it one last playful smirk before stomping down on the virus, crushing it into pixels.

The Link she had been fighting with suddenly snapped to attention. "Virus destroyed. Corruption of files halted. Beginning repair of corrupted files. Estimated time of completion:...error...error...no estimate given. Beginning repair process." Link, who had approached Mipha after her victory, held his fingers to her temple. "For your safety, no living beings should be present for the repair sequence. Returning you to reality..."

"W...wait! Link! What was that thing? What left it there? Are you going to be alright? Who was that other mysterious voice?" Mipha drilled question after question into the hologram, receiving no answer from him. "Wai...!"

Mipha gasped, her eyes snapping open as she scanned her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was the starry night sky looking back down at her. As she turned to the right, a panting, exhausted Daruk finally let go of a limp Link, his body collapsing to the floor. Daruk fell back, landing on his rear as he groaned. Mipha slowly looked over the area, noticing large amounts of scorch marks, impact craters, and small fires smoldering in the grass. Her eyes finally landed on the unmoving form of Link, small sparks occasionally escaping his body. His eyes had all but lost their glow, with only a faint blue light emanating from them. She sighed with relief, slowly sitting up. "Daruk? Are you alright?"

Daruk groaned once more, before trying to sit up to face his fellow champion. With one final grunt of effort, he rose to a seated position, facing Mipha with a pained grimace. "As alright as I can be. The little guy really packs a punch! Who would have thought so much power could come from such a tiny guy!" Daruk rubbed his back, grunting as he hit some sore spots. "He apparently has Guardian lasers. How did we not know he had Guardians lasers?"

Mipha looked over the the few embers and scorch marks. "That would explain the scorch marks. And the craters?"

"Him slamming me into the ground. I don't know if I would have won against him unless you didn't...do whatever ya did in there. He stopped fighting me a little bit before ya woke up. Thanks, by the way."

Mipha nodded. "Of course. I'm just glad to see the both of you alright."

Daruk leaned forward. "Mipha...what happened in there?"

"Yes Mipha. What happened indeed."

Mipha and Daruk stiffened, slowly turning towards the new voice. There they found an enraged Zelda attempting to contain her rage as she tapped her foot. Urbosa stood off to the side, arms crossed with a look that was an odd mix of concern and skepticism. Zelda glanced between the two Champions. "Well? One of you want to tell me what exactly happened here?" She glared at the two, their silence only piling on to her already burning fire of ire. "Why was Daruk fighting Link? Did he go berserk? Is he broken? What happened to you, Mipha? Where were you in this fight? SOMEONE ANSWER ME!"

Daruk stuttered, trying to find the words before Mipha finally spoke up. "I woke up to find Link struggling with something, as he was clutching his head. He then attacked me, saying that he was 'overriding his programming' or something along those lines." Mipha lightly rubbed her neck, slight bruising already evident from Link's earlier attack. "Then I snapped him out of it, temporarily at least, and he spoke to me. Told me that something was wrong and that he needed my help. Then he...brought me into his mind."

Zelda gave her a quizzical look. "Brought you into his mind? What do you mean, like he downloaded you into his Archive? I didn't know he could do that..." Zelda brought her hand to her chin. "...What was it like?"

"It was...beautiful. Rows and rows of glowing blue books, all with incredible amounts of information in them. One could spend eternity there and still not read everything..."

Zelda hummed, however quietly. "Sounds lovely..." She quickly cleared her voice. "I mean, did you find what was wrong?"

Mipha nodded. "Yes. While I was wondering around, I came across a few books that had turned red. As I continued on, more and more had changed colors, and eventually came upon Link. He was struggling against this massive red monster. I rushed in to help, but we were both almost defeated."

Urbosa finally piped up. "How did you manage to defeat this beast?"

"Well we had he..." Mipha paused. She didn't know enough about the strange voice yet, but she knew one thing: it sounded familiar. Like she had heard the voice before. Thinking back, she quickly realized that the voice was almost identical to Link's, yet lacked the emotional distance that characterized the robot. It sounded almost...alive. It had called her Mipha, not Lady Mipha like she had ordered. It gave her an order while shouting. It had...it had been the one that said its favorite color was red! Something was off with Link. She knew there was something else to him, something more. But she couldn't know for sure and she didn't have all the facts yet. For now, it may be best if she investigated on her own. The more people who knew, the bigger the risk of them seeing him as dangerous. If he could ignore simple orders like calling someone a certain name, what else could he ignore? She had to be sure. "We managed to land a few lucky hits. Link distracted it so that I could land the final blow. After we beat it, Link said something about trying to repair his files and then forced me out."

Zelda nodded before turning to Daruk. "And you. What happened while she was gone?"

Daruk rubbed the back of his head. "When she got...uh...'downloaded', Link's eyes turned red and began to struggle against me again. I tried to restrain him, but he can put up quite the fight! He broke free but I stayed on him. When I managed ta pin him again, he started firing lasers at me! Luckily I had my protection, otherwise I might have been a goner!"

Zelda nodded before retreating inward to her own thoughts. What happened? At first she thought the robot had gone on a rampage randomly, but this seemed more than that. While she did hold some disdain for the robot, she wasn't as rash as some might believe her to be. She knew that the robot hadn't tried to attack them on purpose. Something had attacked him from the inside. Something had tried to override his programming. Something that _knew_ how to attack him and where. But what could do such a thing? It had to be something that understood Sheikah technology, and be powerful enough to have a corrupting force to affect him. Red, corruption, evil...

Zelda gasped. She slowly brought her hand to her mouth. Urbosa glanced over, worry evident on her face. "Zelda? What's wrong?"

"Ganon...Ganon was the one that corrupted him. And if he can corrupt Link..."

The three Champions looked at her with questioning looks.

"Then he can corrupt any piece of Sheikah technology. Even the..."

A rustling from the bushes interrupted her thought, as Revali slowly emerged. "Even our Divine Beasts."

That night didn't offer much in the way of sleep to the 4 Champions and the Princess. The knowledge that Ganon, the ultimate evil, could ruin their careful plans to defeat him with such a simple solution shook them to their core. It also didn't help that Link had yet to awake from his unresponsive state. Orders to rise fell on deaf ears as Daruk was forced to pick him up and place him in the back of the wagon with Zelda and Mipha. Revali offered to steer the cart, if anything to just get away from Link. Even Mipha had to agree that the robotic hero was a little creepy. While he was unconscious, his eyes remained completely open, a very faint glow still coming from them as he worked to repair what he could.

Zelda herself was less worried about "Link" and worried more for what this meant for his data. What if Ganon had permanently corrupted important files they would need? Crucial bits of information to help them in their fight against him? She hoped beyond hope that the robot could repair whatever damage had been done. She also worried for the Guardians and Divine Beasts. Ganon had corrupted Link, making him turn on his allies and attacked his inner workings. If he could do it to Link, he could do it to the Guardians and Beasts as well. If they lost them, how would they hope to defeat the Calamity? She would have to think up a solution to the problem before Ganon finally appeared, or she feared that their fates would have already been sealed...

"Attention. Destination reached. Lost Woods."

Mipha's and Zelda's attention snapped to the new voice as Link slowly rose to his feet, his blue eyes shining much brighter than before. "We have reached our destination. Please prepare to disembark."

Mipha approached him, concern evident on her face. "Link? How are you feeling? Is everything...alright, in there?"

Link nodded. "Yes, Lady Mipha. My systems have regained full functionality and I am operational once again."

Mipha and Zelda let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. I'm a quite glad to hear it. I was worried that you suffered some permanent damage after that fight."

"I have suffered permanent damage. The virus has corrupted some of my files beyond repair, and so said files were removed. In all, twenty percent of my database was expunged, unable to be recovered."

Zelda grew visibly concerned. What had been lost? What files had been removed and what remained. "Link, what files were lost?"

Link turned to the new voice. "That data is confidential. My apologies."

Zelda looked over to Mipha, confusion rising between the two of them. "But Link, I'm the Hyrulian Princess, Princess Zelda. I command you to share the amount of corruption."

Link processed for a second before responding. "Apologies, but you are not registered in my data banks as the current princess. The current Princess is Princess...error...error...I'm sorry. That file cannot be accessed due to recent expunges."

Zelda's eyes widened in fear, the horrible realization of what files were attacked dawning on her. "Link, who are the four Champions that you serve?"

"This unit serves Lady Mipha of the Zora, Error...of the Gorons, Error...Error...Error...I'm sorry, those files cannot be accessed right now."

Zelda began to grow frantic. "How do we operate the Divine Beasts more efficiently?"

"Error...I'm sorr..."

"How did the last group of Champions defeat Ganon specifically?"

"Error...I'm..."

Zelda paused, fear rising as she volleyed one last question. "Link, do you know what Ganon is? And why we need to stop him?"

Link paused. He combed his databanks, searching for the answer to this stranger's question. Finally finding an answer, he responded. "Error...information not found. I'm sorry."

AN: And now to finish something I should have finished a long time ago.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Code is Mightier than the Sword

The hike through the Lost Woods was a silent and tense one, as each Champion digested their current situation. While Revali never had much faith in the android to begin with, and Urbosa always had her doubts, Zelda had put her entire confidence in their defense against Ganon on the shoulders of Link, and now her plan was thrown into chaos by his sudden sabotage. Now he didn't even know she was the princess, or who the other Champions were, or who Ganon even was! How were they supposed to defeat him now, she pondered, her teeth gnawing away at her nails.

Mipha looked on with concern. While she felt for the princess's plight, she was slightly relieved that Link had not only managed to recover but remembered her as well. It could be their only link in establishing a connection to him once more, as the only person he took orders were from her now. Now she would have to deal with the very real threat that Ganon posed against their Divine Beasts, for if he could corrupt Link, the same could be said for them.

"Well, who cares if Ganon can corrupt 'em?"

The party was brought to a halt at the sound of the Goron's voice, turning back to see a confident grin adorning his face. Zelda shot him an incredulous look. "What do you mean who cares?! We need the Divine Beasts to defeat him!"

"Who is Ganon?"

Ignoring Link, Daruk continued. "Well, who cares? He tried corrupting the little guy and Mipha stopped him, right?" He gestured towards the Zora Champion, who immediately blushed, gripping her trident closer to herself. With a deep breath to collect herself, she nodded. "See? If we can beat back whatever Ganon's got cooked up, we can do it again!" He accented with a punch, seemingly beating back some invisible force unfortunate enough to stand in his way.

A short glance was shared between the Champions, with another question of who Ganon was coming from their confused, robotic ally. Uncertainty was held in their gazes. Could they truly beat back whatever was waiting for them within their Divine Beasts? Ganon was a truly powerful entity, and whatever trap he may have laid for them would not be an easy force to defeat. A short jingling of jewelry broke the silence, as Urbosa stepped towards Daruk. "He's right. If anyone would be capable of putting a stop to him, it's us. Us and our Princess over there of course." Zelda could only glance downwards, uncertainty still scrawled across her features. Revali scoffed, before walking over to the pair with a huff. He stood next to them, not saying a word. The duo then turned their eyes to the last remaining Champion. Mipha stood silently, her trident in a tight hold as she studied the floor. Urbosa took a short step forward. "Mipha. You're the only one who managed to beat whatever it was that attacked Link. Surely another one would be mere child's play for the Zora Champion?"

Mipha did nothing for a few moments, her gaze holding to the grassy ground. Then, with a speed of pure assurance, her head lifted, a fierce determination in her eyes. "We'll beat whatever he may throw at us. I will not see my home in ruins." The rest of the team, save for Revali, could only grin, the princess herself even cracked a small smile.

Daruk grabbed them all, bringing them in for a giant huddle. Revali's disdain was quite evident, but the Goron easily drowned him out. "We're a team! Together, nuthin' can beat us! Ganon thinks he pulled a fast one over us but we'll beat him no problem now!" The rest of the group, save for the Rito Champion, could only grin with a newfound determination, obviously brought on by their boisterous champion.

"Query"

"What is it, Link?"

"Who is Ganon?"

The rest of the trip to the resting place of the Master Sword was slightly brighter, with the team's spirits being quickly uplifted by Daruk's earlier pep talk. Though they had found themselves lost in the forest from time to time, Link's navigational data was still available, making a much quicker and accurate trip possible. Eventually, the group found themselves passing through a verdant grove, with overgrown plant life filling their view. The plant life seemed to congregate around a singular tree, whose visage resembled that of a wise, old man. The princess eased up at the sight of the arborous figure, a sense of familiarity between them.

"Well well, if it isn't the princess of Hyrule. You truly are the spitting image of Hylia herself." The tree spoke, his voice echoing a being who has lived across millennia.

"Hello Great Deku Tree. It has been quite some time since I have come to visit you, hasn't it?" The princess replied.

"My child, when you are as old as I, time becomes quite trivial. It feels as if you had just come to visit me, and my how you have grown. You'll be a fine ruler someday." The Great Deku Tree did his best to compliment the girl, for he had felt the unease in her heart, both of the future and of herself. "So, what brings Zelda and her mighty Champions to my forest today?"

"Great Deku Tree, we came for the Master Sword, the blade of evil's bane, so that we may defeat Ganon with it when he rises. Only…" She paused, glancing back at the android who was scanning the area, occasionally mentioning his storage of collected data. "We do not have a hero who may wield it. The one who bares the Triforce of Courage, who carries courage in their heart above all doubt, never appeared to us."

The tree stayed silent for a few moments. "Well then, what about him?"

Making clear reference to Link, Zelda gestured for him to step forward. He shook his head. "You are not cleared to…"

"Link, would you be so kind as to introduce yourself to the Great Deku Tree?" Eyes fell on Mipha, who was giving a kind smile to the robot. He nodded, steeping in front of the group.

"Greetings. I am the Hylian Emergency Replacement Operative, or the H.E.R.O. The members I have been traveling with have been referring to me as 'Link' so you may refer to me as such if it easier." Link explained, his glowing blue eyes scanning the visage of the tree. "My databanks have you registered as the **Great Deku Tree** , guardian of the Forest, the invisible beings called Koroks, as well as the…" He pauses, his blue eyes flickering as white streaks ran across them. "Error, further data not found." Link quickly, bowed. "Apologies. My databanks were recently attacked by a virus and data has been corrupted. Until restoration of such files, I cannot extrapolate anymore data."

The Great Deku Tree remained silent for a moment, before he chuckled deeply, his leaves rustling as the tree vibrated with his laughter. The Champions stood dumbfounded at the sudden jovial outburst of the ancient being, with even the Princess not knowing what to say. With the laughter dying down, the tree finally turned his attention to the construct in front of him. "My my, you still are formal aren't you? Apologies, child, but I am not familiar with the terms you used just now, but I can guess. Your memories, they were damaged, were they not?"

Link nodded. "Affirmative. My 'memories' were damaged in a recent attack. I am currently trying to repair said 'memories' but repairs are taking longer than projected."

 _Considering you couldn't project an estimate, that isn't surprising._ Mipha though to herself.

"Hmm, well that is most concerning indeed. Was anything important lost?" The giant tree continued.

Link closed his eyes, and hummed to himself for a few seconds. "Core memories were destroyed or damaged, resulting in damage equal to 20% of memories needing to be expunged. My companions keep stating that they are the 'Champions', yet I having no memory of them. The logical explanation would be that their status within my databanks has been destroyed by the virus. I still retain a multitude of memories, such as how to prepare a myriad of food dishes or the various flora and fauna that would be considered 'safe to consume,' yet I have no memory of the current Princess, nor why she matters to my primary objective. All I know is that said Princess is important, and that she is one of the few beings that have permissions to access restricted information."

Zelda suddenly perked up, the information playing in her head suddenly coming to a curious question. "What a minute! If Link…H.E.R.O…can only be ordered to divulge confidential information by the Hyrulian Royal Family. Yet here he is, spilling everything I wanted to know out to you! Why is he listening to you?" Zelda huffed slightly. The other Champions shot each other glances. It was a valid question. Link greeted the tree as if they were perfect strangers, yet the tree could ask and receive answers to questions that would be denied to any of them.

The let out a light chuckle once more. "Well, that may be because Link and I aren't strangers to one another!" The groups eyes widened, with Daruk almost falling over in recoil.

Flabbergasted, Zelda struggled to compose herself before responding. "When did you to meet? Link never mentioned you before."

The tree thought for a moment. "Well it must have been just before the last Calamity, if I remember correctly…"

 _The Koroks were happily playing in the clearing, their eyes drawn every once in a while to the now empty pedestal that housed the sacred blade. Occasionally, one would hop over and mimic the hero removing the sword from the base. The tree stood peacefully, silently watching over his children, the sunlight filtering in through the treetops, letting only a few rays through to the pedestal itself. It was truly a peaceful day, masking the growing terror that was slowly gripping the land. Ganon was prophesized to appear once again. The current princess and hero had been found long before his reveal, and were currently training with the Sheikah and Royal Guard to prepare them for what was to come. The Sheikah were even using those massive constructs in the hope that they might weaken the embodiment of power enough for the princess and hero to take him down. It was an ambitious plan, but if it paid off, they might even be able to use them again in the future, if the need arose. But all that mattered little to the tree. He had seen it all before. It was a cycle, of course. Power would rise, Courage and Wisdom would stand against it, and in the end, Power would fall. Sometimes it would win, for a bit, but light always shown against the dark that Power bred. Over and over, again and again. Now would be no different. In his little corner of the land, deep within the forest, he and his children would be safe. For he had existed before, and just like the cycles, he would continue to exist. His children would continue, changing forms if need be as they always did._

 _A worried cry came from the entrance, pulling the tree's attention to the area stretching out before him. His gaze scanned the tree line, before falling on a soft blue glow emanating from the darkness of the trees. As the unknown being stumbled into view, the trees eyes could finally get a good look at the thing before him. The Hylian (or at least, the thing that looked like a Hylian) was missing some part of his skin. A dull blue glow revealed the telltale sign of Sheikah technology below. White hair fell down over its face, blending with its pale skin. The thing's eyes flickered on and off, its gaze scanning the surrounding area. Its eyes stopped on each korok, or at least, each area where one would be. The being would stare, looking around the same area for a few seconds, before passing on to the next. The creature's gaze finally landed on the giant tree before it. Its eyes froze, staring deeply into the core of the tree. The Great Deku Tree could only stare back, wondering at the unknown origins of the creature. With the deafening silence only adding more tension, the tree decided to speak._

 _"_ _Hello, child. What brings you to our forest?"_

 _The construct's eyes widened, before narrowing once more, dancing around ever so slightly over the form of the massive tree. "Being registered. My databanks have your characteristics labeled as the Great Deku Tree. Is this correct?"_

 _"_ _Yes, child. That is what they call me."_

 _The construct nodded. "Query answered. Thank you for your assistance. Registering new data on GREAT DEKU TREE away in my archives. Link established."_

 _The tree continued to observe the strange being as it looked around the environment, making small comments to itself about "adding new data", whatever it meant by that the tree did not know. He was, however, fascinated by the being before him. It reminded him of the Sheikah technology that the Hylians were using to defeat Power, and yet it had flesh. It spoke, and at least looked mostly like a Hylian._

 _"_ _Query. How long have you existed here? Visual data would infer you are alone, but observation of the surrounding environment, such as displacement in spaces where creatures do not exist, as well as you referring to the forest as 'ours' would imply that you are in fact not alone. Does that aid you in your continued existence? Do you have a means of transferring the data you have observed over the years to me, so that I may assimilate it into by own archives? What part do you play in the current conflict my_ _ **Princess**_ _is involved in? How many…"_

 _The Great Deku Tree chuckled warmly. "My my, you ask many questions, don't you? You're as curious as a young child. And yet, you don't seem like one. Tell me, young one, what is your name? Your purpose?"_

 _The construct stiffened "Unit designation Hyrulian Emergency Replacement Operative, codename H.E.R.O. I am to take the place of the hero in case of a missing_ _ **Chosen Hero**_ _, and continue his duties until he appears or until_ _ **Ganon**_ _is slain."_

 _The massive tree hummed in thought. "So, the Sheikah even have a plan for you, don't they Link…tell me, H.E.R.O., can you remove the Master Sword from its resting place? Wield its power? Slay Power with it?"_

 _The machine glanced down to the ground. "Information unknown. I have no knowledge of my abilities to wield said blade, nor even my abilities to wrest it from its pedestal. What are the requirements to do so?"_

 _"_ _Only Hylia's chosen hero may remove the blade from its pedestal, a person who is truly courageous in the face of adversity. The sword, they say, chooses the wielder." He explained._

 _"_ _Based on existing data, then, I would not be able to remove the blade, as I lack emotions. I do not fear adversity nor death, and am always willing to press into danger. This action is not taken out of courage, but of programming. I have not been tested, nor do I believe I would pass through 'will' alone." Bringing his hand to his chin, the construct guessed further. "Knowing this, it would seem impossible for me to be a true replacement for the_ _ **Chosen Hero**_ _and would be better suited protecting the_ _ **Princess**_ _and her_ _ **Champions**_ _from harm so that they may combat_ _ **Ganon**_ _."_

 _Glancing around the clearing, the being took one last look at everything around him. "Issuing gratitude. Great Deku Tree, thank you for expanding my archives on the inhabitants of your forest, as well as yourself and matters pertaining to my primary mission. This venture has been most fortuitous. Considering your role as guardian over the_ _ **Master Sword**_ _and your status within this world, your status has been raised. Updating priority levels within system for_ _ **Great Deku Tree.**_ _"_

 _The tree could almost crack a smile. "Of course, H.E.R.O. I do hope our paths cross again, as I would much enjoy speaking to you further. Considering our natures, I feel we both could share much with each other." As the tree was about to ask where the being had come from, voices began to ring out from the forest, distant, but close enough to make out. "I would imagine those would be your friends looking for you?"_

 _H.E.R.O . shook his head, turning his attention towards the voices. "Negative. Those individuals would be my creators. I left earlier as one had a question about you and, lacking the answer, I ventured out to find it. They may be 'cross' with me about leaving unannounced, however." Turning back to the tree, he glanced up at the great beings face one last time. "I must go. I also would 'appreciate' more time to fill my archives as well, so I do 'hope' we meet again."_

 _As H.E.R.O. walked back into the woods, the Deku Tree could only let out a slight hum of joy. He had met a very interesting individual today, something that he could enjoy the memory of for a good while…_

"…and that was the last I ever saw of him. After all these years, I had assumed that I would never actually see him again, given his circumstances. And yet, here he is. I'm sorry about playing coy at first, I wanted to see if he truly remembered me. And it appears he may not."

All eyes fell on Link as he registered the encounter. "Scanning. My databanks have key points of this memory missing. My archives have an encounter listed for that time, as well as the priority level for the **Great Deku Tree** , but all files pertaining to the actual encounter have been expunged. Will attempt to restore files due to encounter with primary source."

The Great Deku Tree called the robot forward, promising to share with him all that he could spare.

As soon as Link left their vicinity, Zelda turned her attention to her Champions. "He even lost memories of the Great Deku Tree. What other memories could he have lost?" She began to pace in front of them. "He already said he doesn't remember who Ganon is. He has no memories of the Master Sword or its purpose. He even forgot me and the other Champions…" She froze, having come to a realization. Turning slowly to Mipha, she stared for a moment before throwing up an accusatory finger. "You!"

Mipha stepped back. "Me? What about me?"

Urbosa laid her hand on Zelda's shoulder. "Zelda, you wouldn't think to imply that Mipha sabotaged Link and tried to erase us, correct?"

Zelda looked between Urbosa and Mipha questioningly before rapidly shaking her head, her hands following the same motion. "What!? No, no! I'm not trying to imply that. Mipha is the only Champion Link remembers, correct?" The group nodded. "The virus that attacked his memory was targeting specific data. Don't you find it weird that only information about his mission, the Champions, myself, have been erased, but his knowledge of proper cooking temperatures for beef are still there? The virus was trying to render him useless, make him forget everything that could aid us. Possibly even convert him as another tool to destroy us! But he didn't get all of it. He was stopped before he could corrupt it all."

Revali spoke up. "So you're implying that because Mipha helped him, he still remembers her?"

Zelda shook her head. "No, it's because that she helped that he remembers anything. Her file must have been the last of us to be targeted. He knew Daruk was a Goron Champion, but didn't remember his name. Their files must have taken longer to delete than ours. He would obviously target mine first, and then moved on to the Champions. He got through Revali and Urbosa, but took longer with Daruk's, and left Mipha's untouched."

Daruk scratched his head. "Well why did mine take longer then?"

Urbosa stepped forward, next to Zelda. "I might have an idea on that front. Who have been the two closest to Link since he joined us?"

Mipha and Daruk shot each other a glance. "Well, that would have ta be us, right?"

Urbosa nodded, gesturing to the two of them. "And since you both spent the most time with him, talking to him, getting acquainted, wouldn't that mean he knew more about each of you?"

Mipha suddenly lit up. "Since he knew more about us, the files were larger! That's why it took longer with Daruk. Or at least, long enough to preserve my files…"

Zelda's face fell, her eyes drifting towards the floor. "Knowing that he's missing all that, it makes our mission seem even more hopeless. How can he help us now? He won't recognize any of us except for you and the Great Deku Tree. His primary mission is gone. He doesn't even know who we're fighting. What are we gonna do now?"

The Champion's hopes fell with hers. While they could beat back whatever trap Ganon may lay against them, having no chosen hero to fight back Ganon and a princess who couldn't access her powers made the fight seem all but impossible. Every once in a while, a Champion would try to straighten up and tell them they'd be fine, but seeing everyone's face, they'd quickly fall back into their hopeless silence. Suddenly, someone broke the silence.

"Complete. **Great Deku Tree** , files restored. **Master Sword,** partially restored. **Ganon** , partially restored. **PRIMARY DIRECTIVE:** partially restored. Files restored. Compiling of information from primary source has completed."

The Champions snapped to the construct, his face impartial. Mipha stepped forward. "Link, do you remember what you have forgotten?"

The being's eyes flashed blue for but a second. "Partially. File restoration was a partial success. Information from primary sources is trusted enough to add to databases, as long as the source is credible in those sources. **Great Deku Tree** is knowledgeable is himself, as well as the **Master Sword** and **Ganon** , though his accounts are not complete enough to form a full file for **Ganon,** and he has not been in contact with the Master Sword his entire life, so key parts of history are missing, thus resulting in an incomplete file."

Zelda took a cautious swallow, stepping forward next to Mipha. "And your objective, what it is you were created to do?" Link looked to Mipha, who only nodded. "Partial reconstruction achieved. Knowing the purpose of the **Master Sword** and the nature of **Ganon** , inference would dictate that I play some part in the defeat of the being called **Ganon.** According to the memory of the **Great Deku Tree** , a question he and I worked on together was whether or not I would be able to wield the **Master Sword**. That same memory also stated I was to replace the **Chosen Hero** should he fail to appear. Making logical inferences from these previous statements would imply my purpose, but more sources are required to confirm this."

Zelda let out a sigh. Collecting herself, she gained a more annoyed face, if not a forced one. "Well, thanks for worrying me! I thought we were without hope! Now you say we just need primary sources to fix your memories?"

The construct nodded. "Correct, though I would not refer to them as memories. To restore lost files, I simply need to be in contact with a primary source, such as one who was alive, documents recording the events from the time they occurred, and family lineages written down in official Hyrulian Royal script. If you wished to confirm your identity as Princess, I would need to see such a document."

Mipha brightened up slightly. "See Princess? Hope is not lost. We can still complete our mission!"

Zelda let out a small smile. "Yes, I suppose you're right." She turned to the construct. "Well, um…Link…shall we go to those sources?"

Link nodded. "The restoration of files has been placed high on my priorities list, so for the sake of this unit, I shall comply with your request. Plotting a course to Hyrule Castle now."

Zelda smiled. Hope. They had hope. They could get H.E.R.O. back to normal, wrest back control of the divine beasts, and defeat Ganon. They could do it. Ganon had sprung his biggest trump card on them, and he failed. They could fix it. They could finish this. They could win! A wide grin began to creep along her face. At this moment, she felt like nothing could beat them. Even the looming threat of her lack of powers could not bring her down. She walked back to the Champions, a noticeable spring in her step. Revali raised an eyebrow as she reached them. "What's with the skipping?"

Zelda blinked in surprise. "W...what?"

Daruk pointed at her feet, a coy grin plastered on his face. "You were walking funny when ya came up ta us. Ya feeling alright?"

Zelda quickly grew flustered. "N..no! No, I'm fine! I'm walking like I normally do! Nothing's new, I'm completely normal."

Urbosa and Mipha only stifled giggles as Zelda tried to defend her obviously joyous walking pattern. Zelda quickly shot death glares at the two of them, only prompting them to laugh harder. They even heard the Great Deku Tree let out a gasp, followed by curious laughter, implying to them that he had been listening to her futile attempts. Their moment was interrupted as Link finally rejoined their group.

"I have procured a route to Hyrule Castle, the same route we took to get here, modified slightly for the presence of threats in the area. I have also brought this so that we could hopefully inquire about its nature, as well as the key parts of its history missing from other sources."

Zelda gave the robot a curious look before glancing down at his hands. A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she raised a shaking finger to point at the object in Link's hands. "H…H…Li…Link. Is th.. that the…?"

Link nodded. "Correct, Zelda. I have procured the **Master Sword** for research purposes, so that we may finish the restoration of its files in my databases. Was I wrong in doing so?"

Zelda began to stammer. "No no, it's perfectly f..fine that you did take it. It's just.." Zelda managed to get out, still trying to recollect her thoughts.

The rest of the champions were left in stunned silence, save for Revali, who was only getting more heated by the princess stammering and the oblivious robot. Revali's face contorted into one of both curiosity and annoyance once the charade had gone on for long enough. "We know why you got it, you told us already. How _did you_ get it?!"

Link gestured to the pedestal behind him. "The blade was resting in the pedestal over there. I simply grabbed the handle, and pulled. While the blade did give way a small bit, the overall result was less than acceptable. I then applied force with both hands and finally removed the blade. The **Great Deku Tree** must have seen my actions as 'comical' as he laughed after watching me perform the action."

The Champions turned towards the tree, Zelda's eyes pleading for answers. "Before you ask, child, no, I have no idea how he was able to draw the sword of evil's bane. It is as he said. He simply approached the blade and drew it. Like many who came before him." The tree explained.

"By building off of existing data from the sources provided, it is to be inferred that one is not to be able to remove the blade so easily, as it can only be pulled by a special person. That extrapolation would also point towards a conclusion that a being such as myself could not pull it either. The unexpected outcome of said action is quite puzzling, as it contradicts all previously stated facts."

Before anyone could question the two further, the construct straightened suddenly, its eyes flashing from the normal, bright glowing blue to a gentler, almost living blue. His face grew into a look of worry. "Who are you? What are you doing in here? You don't belong in here, get out. You don't know what this place i…wait. It's…it's you…" Link began to slowly look upwards, faint purple and blue lines streaking across his eyes. Every once and a while he would mutter something incomprehensible, but was for the most part unresponsive to attempts at snapping him out of it. His attention was suddenly pulled to Mipha's. Mipha, startled by the sudden snap of attention, jumped back an inch. The streaks began to rain down the constructs eyes, his blank, wide eyed stare unnerving everyone present. And then, he spoke.

"Yes, she's the one. She was in here before. She was the one who…no…no you've got it all wro…no I don't! I don…Cease your actions! Halt at once! Don't tell me wha…You're not my creator! QUIET!"

The being then returned to his still stare, the words ceasing to flow from it.

Zelda shot the other Champions a concerned glance. The four readied their weapons, preparing for whatever foreign entity had invaded their sixth member. They remained that way for a minute, the tension palpable as the uncertainty of the situation gripped them. A wave of relief washed over them as the bright glow returned to Link's eyes, his face returning to an indifferent façade. His eyes snapped to the Champions. "Link establish…Why do you have your weapons drawn? Are there enemies in the vicinity?" His gaze snapped to the forest. "Scanning. No threats detected. You may lower your weapons."

The Champions looked amongst themselves, before Zelda gave a careful nod, allowing them to lower them. Zelda took a careful step forward. "Link? What happened just now?"

Link looked to the princess. "I was receiving sources from a reliable primary source. She provided all the key details missing from its file. **Master Sword** file, restored."

 **And it only took me forever. The good news is that I have a lot of free time in the morning and at work to type now so...yay! Hopefully the next chapter won't be forever away! Huzzah! As always, lemme know what you think! Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Backups and Breakouts

The trip back to Hyrule Castle was relatively short for the Champions. The road held no threats, and fair weather kept delays to a minimum. The only struggle the 5 people in the wagons suffered from was boredom. They hadn't been much for them to fight, and not too many experiences to discuss, considering the trip was cut short by the need for a return to Hyrule Castle. Urbosa, Zelda, and Daruk rode together in one wagon, while Link, Mipha, and, surprisingly, Revali, rode together in the other. Revali was still flabbergasted as to how he ended up in this situation. One minute he was making his way into the lead wagon, and next thing he knew, a brown blur blew past him, snaking the last spot from him. He barely caught a wink from the Goron champion to the Zora one, who gave a knowing smile and a nod. The two were up to something, and Revali feared it had something to do with that blasted robot.

A sudden bump pulled Revali out of his recollections, causing him to look over at the two other beings in his wooden, rickety cage. Mipha was quietly conversing with that thing, who would occasionally ask a question for clarification or provide its on insight. Mipha would giggle at an overly mechanical answer, often times missing the point of the question entirely, but nevertheless seemed to be enjoying her time with it. How could she, though? The thing had no life, no soul. It was a piece of technology. He didn't "connect" with Vah Medoh. Sure, he felt come kind of connection with it, but it wasn't his friend. He didn't hold long conversations with it. He didn't show clear signs of _interest_ in the technology. And yet, her was the Zora princess, actively trying to bond and get closer to a piece of tech that cared about nothing except its mission. It was all a joke to him, and one he chose not to humor for too long.

"Mipha."

The Zora princess perked up at her name. Turning to face the Rito Champion, she grew a quizzical look on her face. "Oh, Revali. What is it?"

Revali sneered. "How long do you plan on humoring that thing?"

Mipha glanced between Revali and Link, before landing back on Revali, her face an odd mixture of annoyed and calm. "I wish you would stop referring to Link as a thing. And I'm not humoring anything. Link has shown traits to be just like you and me. What about him makes him lesser?"

Revali scoffed. "Shown traits? You mean to just you, correct? Considering you are the only one to ever truly witness these bouts of "humanity", you'll forgive me if I find your evidence to be just a tad bit ludicrous." Revali slowly leaned back, his wings laced behind his head. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that maybe you _want_ it to be real. You want him to be real with you. I'd even go so far as to say you want him to be real so badly that you're making up stories about his 'moments' with you so you feel better about yourself."

Mipha tensed up, straightening up to say something. Her words died in her throat, her mouth slowly closing. She then grew silent, a sadness flooding her eyes as her gaze fell to the floor. Link glanced between the two. "I am sensing hostilities between you two. My records indicate that calming tea and soothing music can settle people's spirits. Shall I prepare them for you?"

Revali scoffed, gesturing to the construct. "You see? This thing only operates on pure logic. No emotions. No feelings. No sense. Who would offer tea and music when two people are arguing? No real person, just a machine."

Turning back towards his original spot, Revali stomped over to his seat and promptly took it. Glancing once more to the robot, he could only grumble, "Who needs a replacement when you have the real thing sitting in front of you. I'm better in every way, and they choose to place their hopes into a piece of junk."

With the last of his venomous words, the cart grew silent once more. Link raised a hand to speak but Mipha pulled it down, gently shaking her head. Looking to her and then to him, Link's eyes flickered for but a moment, before a quick shake of his head cleared the thought that came from nowhere.

"Well, that should about do it."

Purah jumped down from her desk as she walked back to Mipha and Zelda. The two were sitting quietly on a nearby bench as the scientist completed her work. On the middle of her table lay Link, his eyes shut, and a modified Guardian limb attached to his right temple. A quiet, whirring noise emanated from him as the Sheikah Slate, attached to a terminal, glittered in the low light of its position. Every once in a while, a drop of information would hit the slate, and the whirring would kick up again. After a good 3 hours, in which Daruk and Urbosa had visited, brought Zelda and Mipha lunch, and a few light conversations were had, one of which included a very angry Purah demanding to know how her greatest find was damaged, a strange sound emanated from Purah's terminal. Looking over to the glowing construction, a strange golden glow began to permeate through the blow, trickling down the top of the machine. Purah, stunned for a moment at the odd glow, made a move towards the terminal in a desperate move to halt its transformation. A second away from powering it off, the glow reached the tip, and single, brilliant drop fell to the slate. A shining glow emanated from the robotic being, with the three occupants having to shield their eyes for a good half a minute. Once the light died down, all the machines had stopped, their light faded to black. Purah cautiously approached the construct and detached the tube, gently laying it on the floor. The three waited with anticipation as a series of sounds, some electronic, some mechanical, emanated from Link. After a solid minute, his eyes finally snapped open.

Link slowly rose from the table, his blue eyes slowly scanning the room around him. His eyes finally fell on the three other inhabitants. His eyes danced around their forms, narrowing and widening as if dissecting their images. Finally, he spoke. "Entities identified. **Princess Zelda** , identified. Memory restored. Princess and Champion of the Zoras, Pilot of Vah Ruta, Lady Mipha identified. Purah, resident Sheikah scientist, identified."

Zelda stepped forward. "So…Link…do you remember everything? Before Ganon corrupted you?"

"My memories of you have been restored, as well as your status within my permissions. Running a scan to determine integrity of restored files. One moment." Link went silent, his eyes closed in what could be assumed contemplation. As the three ladies in the room glanced to one another, a dull hum began to emanate from their robotic ally.

Zelda quickly turned to Purah during the lull in activity. "Purah! What was that all about? What was that golden glow?"

Purah quickly stepped back, her hands raised defensively. "Wh…what!? I don't know anything about it! I tried to shut off the infernal machine before it dropped, remember?"

Zelda huffed, crossing her arms. "Still, it's your personal machine. How could you not know it could do that? What if it permanently altered him? What then?"

"It's never done it before! And I only allowed the information you approved to go through! Nothing else but divine providence could bust through our barriers!" Purah quickly shot back.

"Well…" The two turned to the until then silent third party. "…what if it was?"

Zelda and Purah shot her a quizzical look. "What? Are you suggesting that Hylia had something to do with this?" Zelda questioned.

Mipha looked down in contemplation. "Well, we can't explain what happened, right? An odd, golden glow breaks through, Purah has no idea what it was and has never seen it before, and Link matters to the encroaching Calamity. Wouldn't this be the only time her intervention would make sense?"

Before the two could retort, the subject of their confusion chimed in. "Error."

Zelda's eyes snapped to the construct. "Wh..what? What's wrong? Did the transfer fail in some way?"

Link shook his head. "Negative. The transfer did not fail. Information was successfully transferred to my Archives, but two entities are causing delays in its organization. One is successfully contained, but the other is actively working to break it free. Standards anti-tampering defenses have been implemented but are having no effect. Outside assistance is required."

Standing from the table, he turned towards the Princess and Champion. " **Princess Zelda** and Lady Mipha, please allow me to download you into my Archives. Extreme circumstances require your intervention.

Zelda looked to Mipha, the question of safety present on her face. Mipha gave a reassuring smile, nodding her head. Turning back to Link, Zelda exhaled, collected herself, and returned her gaze to Link. "Is it absolutely necessary?"

Link nodded. "Affirmative. The entity attempting to break free has slipped through my defenses a few times before, due to my systems underestimating its ability to do so. Successful countermeasures have now been put in place against it, but the other being is now attempting to work outside said countermeasures. Further assistance is necessary at this juncture."

Going over the outcomes in her mind, weighing the options available, Zelda nodded. "Ok, we'll do it. We can't have another catastrophe like Ganon corrupting your systems again. Mipha?"

The Zora Champions nodded. "Of course I'm all for it. Let's help our friend."

Zelda hesitated. "Um, yes. You're right. Let's help our…comrade."

The two turned to Link, who nodded. "Approved. Beginning the download process now."

A blinding, blue glow filled the room, and within moments, they were gone.

"Well great! What am I supposed to do, then?" Purah complained.

Her second time in the Archives was no less breath taking then the first. Rows and rows of mahogany book shelves filled the seemingly infinite space. Glowing books filled the shelves, all labeled with various different titles. Mipha looked around, trying to find where their companion was. Zelda, on the other hand, was acting like a kid in a candy store. Her eyes danced around the book shelves, the structures lined with vast amounts of information she could only wish she knew. Pulling books randomly from the shelves, her eyes scanned over their contents, furiously devouring the information within. Mipha attempted to break the Princess from her information frenzy, but to no avail. Sighing in defeat, Mipha turned away and began to walk through the shelves, trying to find someone who could help point her in a useful direction.

"Hello."

Mipha jumped back slightly, surprised at the sudden voice. Turing back around the bookshelf, she came face to face with another person. Or, maybe person was too generous. It certainly was another being. It had a face, and what appeared to be hair. Its body was also human like, but there were some things that were slightly off. Legs extended down to a pair of feet with no toes, and their upper body was sleek, with billowy arms that had to hands. But the oddest thing about them was their face. While they appeared to have eyes, a nose, and a mouth, the features were slightly off-putting. The eyes were merely an outline of them, with no pupils to speak of. The nose was more for aesthetics, lacking any real holes to use for breathing. While studying the being's face, it spoke once more.

"Hello. I would assume you to be Mipha from prior descriptions. Am I correct?"

Mipha slowly nodded. "And you are?"

"Apologies, I have yet to introduce myself. I am Fi, the spirit that resides in the Master Sword. I guide all the wielders of the Master Sword, as they are my master." She explained.

Mipha hummed in understanding. "I believe Zelda once mentioned that there was some sort of spirit within the blade, but it was only really ever a legend. She couldn't find enough information to prove it. I suppose the legends are true."

Fi nodded. "Indeed. And now I have awoken from my slumber once more to assist my master. He is currently in trouble, and needs our assistance. Will you help? Continuing on by myself constitutes a 35% chance of success, while gaining your assistance will increase odds to 68%."

"Well, I hope my presence can raise those odds."

The two turned to Zelda, appearing out from behind a shelf. "What? I'm not so obsessed with research to forget my mission here. We are here to help fix whatever is wrong with Link, correct?"

Fi nodded. "Affirmative. You and Mipha's assistance will help save Link from the other Entity in this space threatening him. While he did recently receive extra outside help, the other Entity present is preventing him from completing his task."

Zelda nodded. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go beat this thing so we can get Link back to normal."

Turning her attention to Mipha, Mipha only smiled and nodded. "Anything to help Link."

Fi gave whatever was closest to a smile she could muster. "Affirmative."

They walked for what felt like hours. The bookshelves never seemed to end, as they stretched on into eternity. They couldn't exactly pinpoint how long they had been following the floaty being known as Fi, but they hoped they were at least close.

"Um, Fi?"

"Yes, Lady Mipha?" Fi responded without looking back.

"Are we close to where Link is? I'm not trying to seem impatient, but it does seem we have been traveling for quite some time."

"Affirmative. We are nearing the core. You may recognize it as the place you battle Demise the last time you were here."

Mipha shot a glance over to Zelda, who could only return a unsure look. Zelda decided to pry for information. "Who is Demise? Mipha fought no such entity."

Fi paused suddenly, causing the other two the halt as well. "Apologies. You would know this being as Ganon." Before Fi could continue forward, a shout broke the two living being's train of thought, as their attention was pulled to a golden glow emanating from a bookshelf further down. Suddenly, Fi dashed off, vanishing around the corner. The hesitation broke between Mipha and Zelda as the two dashed forward as well, trailing behind the spirit. Turning the corner, the two came face to face with Fi staring down Link. Link was standing completely still, his arms down at his sides gripping a glowing blue sword, small pixels emanating off the blade. His eyes held no emotion, as they often did, but were quickly jumping between each of the three.

Behind Link stood a massive blue wall in the shape of a cylinder, flaming pixels crackling off the top. The wall offered a single door, but the portal was completely sealed behind multiple nearly black bars, spanning the length of the door itself. While almost uniformly blue, the wall was beginning to show golden spider web-like cracks. The cracks were small, but the golden glow contrasted with the bright blue, revealing their existence. And they were still slowly spreading.

Link raised his blade towards Fi. "Beings confirmed. Lady Mipha, friendly. **Princess Zelda** , friendly. Sword Spirit Fi, hostile. Lady Mipha, **Princess Zelda** , please step away from Fi. Target is intent on breaking quarantine protocols put in place by the _**Creators**_. Assistance is required in defeating hostile entity. Please move closer to this unit to ensure victory and safety."

Caught between the two beings, both literally and figuratively, the two princess shared concerned glances. "But Link…" Zelda began, "…Fi is the spirit residing within the Master Sword. Surely she wouldn't try to jeopardize the mission to defeat Ganon. She's our ally."

Link shook his head. "Negative. While Fi may be the spirit residing within the Master Sword, she is attempting to access an area permanently sealed off by the _**Creators**_ , and I cannot allow that at any cost. Protecting this quarantine is imperative. Extreme countermeasures will be enforced if you do not comply with the stand down notice."

"I shall not stand down. My duty is to my creator as well." Fi sternly stated, standing her ground.

Mipha stepped forward, standing between the two. "Please, cease this. We are all allies before Ganon. We cannot fight each other in these desperate times."

"If that is your goal, assist in defeating Fi. If this being triumphs, our ability to defeat Ganon will become uncertain." Link turn to the two princesses.

"Negative. If your goal is to defeat Ganon, then you must assist me in breaking the quarantine. The fate of Hyrule could rest in the completion of this task." Fi affirmed.

While the two princesses held a common goal, their thought process on who to side with couldn't have been more different. Zelda, after taking but a short glance between the two before standing beside Fi. "I may hold anger for my father for the role that has been forced on me, but I will stand with Hylia. She cannot be wrong."

Mipha, on the other hand, was torn. On one side, the spirit of the Master Sword, the sword that seals the darkness. Surely Fi wouldn't try to assist Ganon. But she had only met Fi. She had no idea of her true intentions. While her time with Link hadn't been long, she trusted him more than she did Fi. There must have been a reason the original Sheikah makers of him would want to keep whatever this was sealed. Why else would he fight so hard to contain it? And then there were the times he showed her his living side. The things he found beautiful. His favorite color. Those were real emotions the living had. That must mean Link is living, right?

" _I guide all the wielders of the Master Sword, as they are my master."_

" _And now I have awoken from my slumber to assist my master…"_

Mipha let loose a slight gasp. Wasn't Fi supposed to help her master? She is tied to him, and yet Link and Fi are fighting. It could be that Fi does not recognize Link as her master, but if so, why would she be fighting for a hero that died 10,000 years ago? How is any of this helping him? And moreover, if Fi wouldn't allow any to draw the blade save for the Chosen Hero, why would she allow for Link to pull the bla…

Unless Link wasn't the one she thought she was letting draw her. Unless there was some way for Link to be the Chosen Hero without even being alive.

"Link…what is in the quarantine?"

Link's eyes snapped to her. "Classified. Apologies, that information is not available to you with your current clearance."

Zelda took a step forward. "Well then mine should be high enough. Link, what is behind that quarantine?"

"Classified. Apologies, that information is not available to you with your current clearance."

Zelda quickly grew annoyed. "What do you mean? My father and I should hold the highest clearance in Hyrule!"

Link shook his head, drawing another blade and pointing it towards Zelda. "The _**Creators**_ hold the highest clearance. Records indicate that no surviving _**Creators**_ exist. Information shall stay permanently sealed. **Princess Zelda** , I must inform you that if you continue your actions, extreme countermeasures will be deployed against you as well."

Zelda scoffed. "Link, you cannot harm me. Protecting me and defeating Ganon is your Prime Directive. Injuring or even killing me would go completely against that."

Link shook his head, raising both blades and assumed a hostile stance. "Negative. The defeat of **Ganon** is my secondary directive. ' _ **Prime Directive**_ : prevent the breaking of quarantine set in place by creators, for the fate of the future and beyond'."

Zelda raised her fists up, adopting an improvised battle stance. Fi merely raised her arms, bring one arm forward with the other straight back.

Mipha looked at the scene unfold before her. This was it. She had to make a choice. Stand with the Princess and Hylia, or forsake them for her friend. She clenched her eyes shut, working her brain into overdrive.

" _I guide all the wielders of the Master Sword, as they are my master."_

" _Quarantine…for the fate of the future and beyond…"_

" _What is your favorite color?" "It's red."_

" _This area contains at least six known factors that people denote as 'beautiful'" "Error, sixth factor not found in surrounding scenery."_

" _The entity attempting to break free has slipped through my defenses a few times before…"_

Mipha's eyes snapped open. A metallic clink hit the ground as Mipha's trident tapped the marble flooring. Standing beside Fi and Zelda, Mipha had chosen to hold firm against her robotic friend before her.

Link looked between the three. "Query. Why, Lady Mipha, would you stand against your ally, your 'friend'?"

Mipha shook her head. "I'm sorry, Link, but I fear that it wasn't you who I made friends with."

Link stared at her for but a moment jumping backwards. Upon landing, his eyes had adopted a red color, a red laser protruding from each as he targeted Fi. After a second, he sprang into action, dashing forward at blistering speeds. Zelda moved to react but could not match his speed, his blade swinging down upon the spirit. A clang, pixelated sparks, and parried blade forced Link backwards. Mipha stood before Fi, her trident bathed in the gold infected blue glow of the quarantine wall. Link glanced down at his hand, the blade missing. Glancing around, he managed to spot it right before Zelda grabbed it, leveling it towards the AI.

"I'm sorry Link, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Mipha warned, pointing her trident at him.

Link scanned the three adversaries. "Plotting attack patterns. Eliminating redundant movements. Plotting hostile attack patterns. Confirmed."

Link once more dashed towards the three, his sword held horizontally to his side. Zelda stepped before Fi while Mipha stepped forward, her Trident held in a defensive stance. Ten feet before reaching Mipha, Link jumped. Bringing her eyes to the air above them, she raised her trident up, hoping to catch him as he descended. Her eyes widened in shock as he landed his foot on top of the trident, narrowly missing the pointed end. The weapon was quickly shoved to the floor, where Link, one foot on the trident, spun around and kicked Mipha square in the chest, knocking her back. Mipha barely managed to stay on her feet as the trident was kicked away, Link raising his sword towards her once more.

"This is your final warning. Further hostile actions or attempts to break the quarantine will be met with lethal action. WARNING: fatalities inside this space still result in fatalities outside of it."

Mipha coughed, still recovering from having the wind knocked out of her by the kick. Zelda, while she was putting on a brave face, was not prepared for combat. She had the Champions for that. Hell, she even lacked powers! What was she going to do against a highly advanced piece of Sheikah technology hell bent on taking her life? She could back down, but that would mean abandoning Fi and Mipha. So, with false courage, she raised her blade.

"So fatalities can occur? Interesting. Noted, and changing strategies."

Fi immediately leaped forward, her movements not unlike a figure skater. As she skated towards Link, he quickly raised his blade in anticipation. Once she had moved close enough to him, he take a swipe, sure that he had kept enough range to ensure a hit and suffer no recoil. A digital clank hit the floor, as Link stared at the broken sword in his hand, the top half of the blade now missing. Glancing up, Fi gently touched down. "Apologies, but my body can serve as a weapon, considering I am the spirit of the Goddess Sword, I can assume its form temporarily. My reach in that form is also over thirty percent longer than yours."

Link discarded the blade, another appearing in his hands. "That form matters not. Information recorded and applied to predictive combat programs."

The battle resumed, Fi dodging each hit and attempting to parry and land hits of her own, only to be dodged herself. The two beings were accurately predicting the other, a hit never landing. As they continued to "clash", Mipha recovered her trident. Looking for an opening, she dashed forward, only to get a similar outcome to her earlier performance: blocked, parried, and kicked away. She luckily avoided his blade due to Fi's onslaught. Mipha stepped back to Zelda, who still hadn't moved.

Zelda studied the two clashing beings. "We need to figure out a way to get past his predictive patterns. We'll get nowhere trying to attack him like this. We need to either get past him or trick him. Since I have the highest clearance, I would most likely be able to open the door." She glanced to the door itself. "No…if he can't tell me what's in there, I doubt I can open it. Then how…" Her eyes drifted to the actual wall itself, "…do we break through…"

Zelda flipped around towards Mipha. "The cracks! If we can strike them with enough force, we could shatter the wall itself! But the strongest one in here would probably be…"

"Link," Mipha finished. She turned to the wall. "If we can somehow cause him to hit the wall, then maybe it will shatter."

"Exactly!" Zelda replied excitedly. "But how do we do it?"

Mipha's eyes drifted from the walls to the two artificial beings clashing. "We bait him into hitting it." Mipha dashed forward, trident in hand. Link's eyes snapped to her as she approached him. As he went to deflect her predicted strike, making sure to kick Fi away from him, he was a tad surprised to see her race by him towards the wall. His eyes flashed, his targeting focused entirely on her. She was too far away. She would reach the wall before he could stop her. He had one option. He opened up his mouth, his eyes tracking Mipha as the Guardian blast charged up. Finally charged, Link let loose the blast, its red light streaking through air directly towards her. And as it neared her, his chances of success skyrocketed. One target down.

Or so he thought. No sooner had the blast reached her that she planted her weapon into the floor, vaulting over the shot. And too the robot's horror (or at least, to the sirens of various errors, warnings, and failures, that was closest to what someone would call horror) the shot went clean past her, crashing into the wall. Everyone went silent, waiting for something to happen. Then, the crack in the wall grew larger, the spider webs spreading across the wall at a rapid rate. Link dropped his weapon and raced to the wall, pressing his hands against it to prevent its breaking. But to no avail. The cracks, upon reaching the edges of the wall, glowed a bright gold, before quickly shattering, the blue pieces crumbling to the floor. Link took a small step back, its mind a mess of warning, errors, potentials, but most of all, failures. The other three took careful, curious steps forward, trying to spy what could have been behind the wall.

There, in the middle of the circle, sat a chained up person, braces holding his legs together with a thick black chain bolted to the floor. Dressed in a faded green tunic, his looks were strikingly similar to Link's. So similar, that they would be identical if not for the difference in eyes. Whereas as Link's eyes shined a bright blue, the man's eyes were more human, the blue a striking contrast to his melancholic face. Glancing up, his eyes widened at the sight of the three other visitors.

"Is that…a copy of Link?" Zelda cautiously asked.

"No…" Mipha stepped forward, her eyes locking with his. "I think Link is a copy of…him…"

Fi floated down next to the man, her feet gracefully clicking against the floor. A billowy arm was offered to the man, who took hold and helped himself up. Once on his feet, he fell forward, Fi catching the man and steadying him.

"Careful Master, it has been some time."

The man stared down at her, his eyes tearing up at the sight of her. "Fi…is…is it really you?"

Fi nodded. "Yes. I am returned to you as you are returned to us…Master Link."

 **Soooooo, congrats to those who guessed why the robot functioned the way it did. Robots can't pull Chosen Swords. But they can if they happen to have someone in them who can! Anyways, hope you liked the chapter. Lemme know if you did! Or if you didn't! I'm always looking to improve!**

 **Next time! Death! Sorrow! Closening of people! Writer (Not Writer) out!**


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